Football in The Philippines - History

History

Over a hundred years ago, the Philippines were ceded by Spain to the USA. American sports such as basketball consequently gained the upper hand, at the expense of the once popular game of football. However, since local youngsters, both boys and girls, rediscovered the delights of football, the tide has begun to turn. But there is still a long way to go before football can once again become the country's leading sport. The nation managed to taste some success some time ago by qualifying in the 1991 South East Asian Games) semi-finals. The national association is, however, trying to promote young talent by means of grassroots nationwide programs in an effort to raise football standards to a reasonable level after a spate of poor results. Training programs in all major areas have also been set up, based on FIFA courses such as Futuro. The news that Philippine striker, Alfredo Gonzalez, considered by many as the first ever Filipino professional football player in history and the Philippines' finest striker since the legendary Paulino Alcántara, had signed a contract for a professional Vietnamese club was the first international transfer to hit the headlines in the country for years. The association had hoped that this would serve as an inspiration for other players. However, football ultimately got its revival in the Philippines through the national team's Cinderella run in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.