FIFA Goal Project 3 breaks ground

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Jockey Club, Inc., through its partnership with the Philippine Football Federation – held a groundbreaking ceremony for the FIFA Goal Project 3 in the Philippines at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.

The centerpiece of the project is a 2-Star recommended artificial turf pitch which passes the FIFA quality concept for football turfs.

The proposed National Football Training Center is now officially underway.

The event was graced by FIFA president Joseph  Blatter, AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, PFF president Mariano Araneta Jr., MJC chairman Alfonso Reyno Jr., MJC president Alfonso Reyno III and other football executives from FIFA and AFC. The event coincided with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Asian Football Confederation in Manila.

It is expected that the PFF will move its main office within the location. The 2-Star artificial pitch will be the main training ground of the Azklas, the Malditas and other age groups of the national team. Support facilities such as dormitories and training rooms for football-related courses are also in the works. Plans for a football specific stadium will enable the venue to host international friendlies and other FIFA-sanctioned matches.

MJC also plans to build additional football pitches, support facilities and in due course a football club and academy that will make it a center for football excellence in the country.

The MJC was established in 1867. It is one of the oldest existing racing clubs in the Asia Pacific region. MJCI, as a business entity, was formally incorporated in1937.  It operates the San Lazaro Leisure Park, featuring world class horse racing, gaming, and hospitality facilities. It is the first “racino” in Asia, combining a race track and casino in one venue.