Pinoys off to World Cup qualifier

Another Philippine football team will be heading to the World Cup qualifiers, but you’ve probably never heard of them. That’s because they’re in a form of the sport Filipinos are only starting to grasp.

On April 26, the Pilipinas Aguilas, the country’s first-ever national team in tackle football, will be taking on regional powerhouse Japan in the Asian qualifier for the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championship in Sweden in 2015. It was purely the luck of the draw that the Philippines, a first-timer in the event, drew the best team in the continent.

“It just so happened that Kuwait and Korea sent in their paperwork at about the same time,” explains Nathan Tioseco of the American Tackle Football Association of the Philippines (ATFAP) marketing group finding sponsors for the Aguilas. “The Philippines and Japan also did the same. So we ended up playing Japan on their home field.”

The Aguilas now face a monumental challenge, not just facing Japan. They are preparing for a big game while also drafting a long-term program which will incorporate all the other forms of American football being played recreationally in the country, namely flag football and frisbee. The biggest hurdle is the lack of awareness about the sport. Aside from the NFL’s annual Super Bowl, there isn’t much news about tackle football in the Philippines. So far, the Aguilas have built a team around those who played it in school in the US, and expats who have come home looking for a way to grow the sport.

“So far, we’ve been able to get some decent players, including some from other sports,” reveals ATFAP chair Apollo Angco. “Many expats from Clark even come to Metro Manila just to watch us play. There are so many things happening at the same time, which makes it both exciting and very challenging.”

Beyond the mistaken belief that Filipinos are too small to play tackle football, ATFAP also has to convince people that it is safe to play, in the wake of the recent settlement which the NFL was ordered by the US justice system to pay hundreds of former players who claim to have suffered injuries after years of playing full-contact professional football. Safety concerns are always raised in tackle football. But then again, hard-hitting sports like boxing used to be played in the NCAA in the Philippines. 

“We’re using flag football to introduce the sport to people,” adds Aguilas wide receiver Wally Dela Cruz. “Then, when they already know the rules, some of them will want to take it to the next level and pad up. It’s a different kind of enjoyment being out on the field.”

In the meantime, the current Aguilas have each bought their own plane tickets to Tokyo. The IFAF rules require that the host country take care of food and accommodations for all visiting teams, so getting there was the first major obstacle. Almost all of the players have invested out of their pockets in their own helmets, pads and cleats. Luckily, emerging apparel company Amazing Playground, owned by young businessman Amis Tumang, has expressed interest in suiting up the Aguilas. Amazing Playground has been supporting the ANC television program “Hardball”, the San Beda Red Lions, selected PBA players, and even some hosts of the popular ABS-CBN noontime show “It’s Showtime.”

It is not easy to grow a sport like American football, since it requires many players and equipment that isn’t readily available in the Philippines. But the Aguilas draw inspiration from the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) Volcanoes, who went from zero to the World Cup Sevens in just seven years. Speaking of the Volcanoes, they start their 2014 campaign in the Premier Division of the Asian 5 Nations (A5N) tournament that sees the top five countries in the continent do battle to win a place in the 2016 Rugby World Cup. The Volcanoes are focused on their development program for Rugby Union throughout the country with the Philippine Sports Commission. The Volcanoes are now conducting coaching clinics in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan De Oro, Santa Cruz and Pampanga. The Aguilas are also looking at  those areas to recruit players, particularly larger ones who may not have the nimbleness to play basketball. 

This example is giving the Aguilas encouragement as they face a steep climb to making tackle football a mainstream sport in the country. This early, they are already doing the spadework in setting up a collegiate league, and organizing friendlies with Kuwait and other Asian competitors. The Aguilas are the pioneer in tackle football in Southeast Asia, and are looking outside the Philippines to organize other federations in a medium-term plan to introduce their sport into the SEA Games, as well.