SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – Former Azkals standout Anton Del Rosario and Luntian Futsal School coach Johann Casal look to keep football alive amid the coronavirus pandemic by going digital.
“Everything’s on pause right now but we’re up and ready,” said Del Rosario, the founder of 7s Football League.
“We do want to bring the games to the people in some sort of way. We’ll look into having closed-door events and going digital. We’ll venture into livestreaming the games and we’ll push a lot of content out.”
Both want to keep the action going with Casal hosting online football classes and Del Rosario planning an online event called the 7×7 Electronic Football League.
With some international leagues returning behind closed doors, Del Rosario believes players can still bring top-class performances in spectator-less matches.
“The players’ job, before they even see the fans, is to go out there and play,” Del Rosario said in the final episode of the Heroes of Halftime podcast series. “Fan-less or with fans, I think they’d still be able to bring it and give a very good competition.”
“Hopefully after all of this, things normalize so that people can come out and support our communities” he added. “If people would come together, football will be massive – especially if we take it nationwide.”
Del Rosario also revealed that after the pandemic, he is planning to organize a five-week tournament with big leagues like the Philippines Football League (PFL), Youth Football League (YFL), Corporate Football League (CFL), and University Alumni Football League (UAFL).
“We all are coming together to do something good for the football community,” he said.
Despite the long wait for football’s return, Del Rosario and Casal believe the passion and spirit in the football community remain high.
“These athletes, they’re very hard-headed. You can see these types of people value their health, value sports, have a passion for moving and being competitive,” said Casal. “Nothing’s going to stop us.” – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.