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Friday, March 29, 2024

Local football by the numbers

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It is interesting to note that fixtures in the Philippine Football League (PFF) are the second most watched events by football fans in the country in the first two quarters of the year.

Despite the fact that the domestic league just started a few weeks ago, PFF matches got a 25.7% share in the data shared to The Designated Kit Man by Miko David, president of David & Golyat Management Inc. or simply D&G, one of the country’s leading digital, strategy and consulting companies.

David said the run-up to the FIFA World Cup remains the number one football event followed by Filipinos with 49.3% of the respondents saying so.

“At least 26.7 million Filipinos watched the FIFA World Cup while 14 million local fans follow the Philippines Football League. Some 12.8 million are also fans of the UEFA Champions League, the biggest club football tournament in Europe,” David said.

David mentioned that more Pinoy fans watched the English Premier League among the big competitions in Europe. The Spanish La Liga is second and Italy’s Serie A is third.

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Other major football events popular with local fans include the FIFA Women’s World Cup, AFC Asian Cup, Major League Soccer in the United States, AFC Champions League, Germany’s Bundesliga, and France’s Ligue 1. David said online searches for soccer picked up dramatically since the pandemic. Spikes normally occur during championships.

“It is also interesting to note that there is an average of 530,260 online searches related to football or soccer in the country a month. David said. Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon account for 59.6% of online searches for football-related content. David said more fans used their mobile phones (67.9%) as compared to those who used their desktops (27.6%) and tablets (4.6%).

Perhaps the Philippine Football Federation can learn a thing or two from the data shared by D&G to strengthen further its campaign and strategy to further promote football in the country. Heck, even the Philippine Azkals can learn, too, to bring more fans to the games and muster support for their future campaigns.


Speaking of interest, while his company is more popularly known in the basketball scene, LGR Athletic Wears Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer Rhayan Cruz revealed to The Designated Kit Man that they are putting up a volleyball tournament next month for high school students.

LGR is the official outfitter of the Philippine Basketball Association and the company behind LGR Hoops, a league for semi-professional, corporate and amateur cagers, and the brand that supports several more teams in various competitions such as defending champions Letran Knights and the College of St. Benilde Blazers in the NCAA; and the DLSU Green Archers and the National University Bulldogs in the UAAP.

Rhayan, the R in LGR, (L is for Lucky and the G is Gary—his brothers) said that at least 10 teams in the girls and boys division have expressed their interests in participating in the Under-19 tournament dubbed as LGR Power Volleyball, which is set to unfold by the third week of next month.

“The reason behind the tournament is to provide a platform or an outlet for young but promising volleyball players who come from small schools or colleges to show their skills.

There are so many good players out there but they remain undiscovered because their schools are not members of any collegiate leagues or associations. Hopefully, the LGR Power Volleyball will give them opportunities to further improve their game, their confidence, and their chances of playing in professional volleyball leagues in the country,” Cruz said.

As of now, the tournament will feature teams in the National Capital Region. Cruz said many have expressed their interest to participate including squads from Quezon City, Taguig and Manila. Inquiries are also coming in from areas south of Metro Manila.

“We are also hoping to help in the grassroots development of the sport. We all know that there are so many young girls and boys who idolize the country’s leading volleyball players but their opportunities are limited and few. Sana makatulong na matupad ang mga pangarap nila ang aming liga,” Cruz added.

Games will be played at Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong.


Speaking of another Ryan, noted boxing promoter Ryan Gabriel is doing something new and different this time around.
Gabriel revealed he is now managing the career of Aljay Villena, who is not a boxer but one of the country’s emerging table tennis prospects.

Gabriel shared the 17-year-old ping pong player is set to compete in the 2022 US Open Table Tennis Championships this December and more importantly, he has booked his place in the Table Tennis World Championship in London next year.

Gabriel said despite the pandemic and its economic impact, his ward has not stopped training and preparing for the tournament in California. He also noted Villena will literally face the Goliaths of table tennis not only in the United States but also from all over the World when he gets to London in January next year.

“Magaling ang bata. May puso saka buo ang pananampalataya na kahit sobrang hirap ngayong pandemic, hindi nawawalan ng loob. Todo practice pa rin,” Gabriel said.

Villena has been playing ping pong since he was eight years old and has beaten almost all of the country’s big names in the sport. Gabriel is hoping that Filipino fans will support him on his quest to bring honor and fame to the country.

“Maliit kung ikukumpara si Aljay sa mga player ng ibang bansa pero hindi matatawaran ang fighting spirit ng bata natin. Kailangan lang talaga niya ng suporta at dasal,” Gabriel added.

Gabriel said that he will share more updates on Villena in the coming days. As always, we should never doubt the never say die attitude of the Pinoy athlete.


On a personal note, please watch our show 3PTS-Ang Pambansang Tambayan ng Sports on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, 2-3 p.m. at DZME 1530 kHz and be updated on the latest in sports events and issues in the country today. Joining me in the show are Dennis Principe and Rommel Miranda. Catch the show, too, on the FB account of DZME and share your thoughts on the issues you think are relevant to sports in the country.

Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat

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