Economist urges businesses to support Philippine football
SEEING how football in the country has progressed in the last decade or so, a noted economist and football fan is pushing for its further development, with businesses playing a key role. Part of the things he touched on during the launch of his book, Philippine Football: Its Past, Its Future, last week, Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas said that the significant strides that the “beautiful game” has had in reinvigorating interest in it on various levels locally can still be taken to another plane with further help coming from the private sector in particular. While recognizing it would be a long- term process, still Mr. Villegas said he believes that Philippine football can enjoy the same growth and success that football is having in different parts of the world with companies as important partners.
“It has been happening in different places. It can happen here. You can see it in Europe, like in the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy, and in China and some Southeast Asian countries. In these places, companies have done their part in further cultivating the football culture that is mutually beneficial for them,” said Mr. Villegas in an interview with a group of writers at the sidelines of his book launch.
“Apart from helping in developing a sport that Filipinos can truly excel in, businesses must see that football can complement them as a brand,” said the economist, who admitted to being a “late- bloomer” in his appreciation of football.
Mr. Villegas said businesses can get involve in various ways, including sponsoring teams in the various tournaments in the country, much like what Qatar Airways has done in its support of Barcelona.
“Take a look at Qatar Airways which has been supporting Barcelona. It has used its involvement in it as a marketing tool where the team too has helped it in its various activities. Companies can also use the sport as part of their corporate social responsibility thrust,” he said.
Mr. Villegas said such is already taking root with companies like Alaska Milk Corp., Pru Life UK and Unilever going in that direction.
Another way companies can get involve is by developing football pitches to play in, particular those involved in real estate.
He cited the case of Chinese companies like Evergrande Real Estate in the Guangzhou region which are spending billions of dollars in putting up hundreds of football pitches and training hundreds of thousands of young players to grow the sport in their country.
“Maybe real estate companies here can build football pitches on their properties and use them as anchors for other commercial establishments which will benefit them as well in the end,” Mr. Villegas said.
MARATHON AND TRIATHLON
Mr. Villegas went on to say that now is a good time for local companies to get involved in a sport like football, considering the kind of economy that the Philippines is building.
“We are becoming a middle-income country with a rapid increase in the middle class, and with that a consequent explosion in expenditures on sport and entertainment is happening. You can see that in marathon and triathlon, where it has been enjoying support from largely the middle class. They have been buying shoes, shirts and other accessories,” he said.
“Our growth is consumption-led and sports is definitely a beneficiary of this middle income expansion. If football is put in the national consciousness it can attract such growth like marathon and businesses should take note of that,” Mr. Villegas said.
One platform that companies can make their presence felt, Mr. Villegas, is the Philippines Football League (PFL) which is set to start this summer and will serve as the country’s national football league.
The league, under the auspices of the Philippine Football Federation, is envisioned to make football development more far-ranging and grassroots as possible with teams representing different regions in the country.
“Companies should see the potential and benefit of supporting the teams in the league and take it from there,” said Mr. Villegas, who serves as the chairman of the task force overseeing the launch of the PFL. —