On the penultimate day of January Sarina Bolden scored the final penalty in a shootout that gave the Philippines victory over Taiwan, a place in the semi-final of the Women’s Asian Cup and – the biggest prize of all – automatic qualification to the 2023 Women’s World Cup. This is the first time a Philippines team of any gender at any age level will appear on the global stage.
As spot-kicks go then, it was a big one and the sight of the ball hitting the back of the net in the Indian city of Pune is one that the team’s coach, Alen Stajcic, will never forget. “It was pretty hard to describe – it was a special feeling,” the Australian, who took over last October, says. “Even though that had been the goal deep down for a lot of the players, it was still unexpected for them. It was great seeing people, people who had been there for a long time, celebrate something special.”
One of those celebrating was Mariano Araneta, the president of the Philippine Football Federation. “The achievement of the women’s team can be a gamechanger for the sport here,” he says. “It really goes beyond qualifying for the World Cup. It has given us renewed hope and has inspired all stakeholders to further develop the game.”
Just being there is a big deal, as is the prospect of the nation’s sporting attention being focused on events in Australia and New Zealand in July and August 2023. The Philippines are an outlier in south-east Asia, the only nation in the region of about 650 million people where football is not the number one sport. It has long been said that, in a sporting sense, this former colony of the United States is all about the ‘three Bs’: basketball, billiards and boxing. Whether all three are still as popular is debatable but it is clear that basketball is the first love of many in the sprawling archipelago.
“The market of football isn’t as big as other sports like basketball or women’s volleyball and this historic achievement has an impact on our efforts to promote the game,” Araneta says. “It’s a huge achievement and a product of years of hard work and sacrifice not just from this team but all the teams in the past that paved the way for this squad.”
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It is important that the game takes advantage of the World Cup in the next 12 months and more. Stajcic, a former coach of the Australia women’s team, knows that such an appearance can make a crucial difference in a competitive sporting market. “Football in some countries like Australia and the USA is not the number one sport,” he says. “Here basketball is more popular but being at the World Cup gives football a bit of presence and raises the expectation of what can be achieved. No team has qualified for any World Cup and that is something you can’t go back from and it really raises the bar.”
Stajcic remembers how Australia’s men returning to the World Cup in 2006 after a gap of 32 years boosted the country’s fledgling A-League. “It really helps the local league; being there has an impact like no other impact and not just for football people but those who are sport mad and those who love the country.”
For the first time Filipinos around the world can watch their country against the best. “They had record television ratings for our matches, they were televised and that is not usually the case,” Stajcic says. “I heard that there were over 300,000 viewers for our final match at the Asian Cup and that shows the impact. The World Cup could have 10 times more.”
Any kind of success – a win or even a draw – would be a massive deal, though Stajcic is trying to keep feet on the ground. After all, the Philippines are ranked 54th in the world by Fifa and are 11th in Asia.
“Nobody is under any illusions,” says the 48-year-old, adding that the team, as one of the lowest seeds, will be handed a tough draw. “We will be in Pot Four and could play one of the USA, England, Italy or Brazil. It’s going to be extremely tough in every minute of every match but you never know in football.” A decade and a half of experience in the women’s game will help. “I’ve been around and I know the standard but I also know how miraculous the achievement is.”
To have a similar jump in results over the next few months would be very welcome and the Philippines do have one small advantage in Stajcic’s knowledge of Australia and New Zealand. “I know the infrastructure, the facilities and all the people. In terms of logistics and planning, knowing what we can expect is a big advantage. Usually you have to go and scout but to have it at my own doorstep should make a difference.”
