MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is preparing to relocate its headquarters to a proposed five-storey building on a 3,000 to 5,000-square meter property close to the two-hectare artificial pitch donated by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) in Carmona, Cavite.
PFF president and FIFA Council member Mariano (Nonong) Araneta said yesterday the building will be initially funded by a $1.5-million grant from FIFA’s Forward Development Program. Araneta said the PFF is earmarking a total of $3.5 million from the FIFA program. Near the proposed site is the artificial pitch that was also built with FIFA funding three years ago. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recently approved a Korean bid of $400,000 to put up LED lighting for the field and another $300,000 to construct two seven-a-side turfs.
Araneta said the plan is to sell the existing PFF headquarters, called the House of Football, in Pasig. An independent valuation of the building and 700-meter property set the selling price at P32 to 33 million. “Depending on how quickly we’re able to relocate, we could lease the existing building for a year or two before selling it outright,” said Araneta. “We’re studying our options. But we’re definitely moving out of Pasig. There’s no room for expansion. Besides, we need a pitch for our coaches and officials courses. We thought we could use ULTRA but now that the artificial pitch is available, it’s convenient to set up our headquarters nearby.”
Araneta, 64, said it will take roughly two years to finish the building but the first priority is to determine its location. He’s zeroing in on available properties close to the pitch at the San Lazaro Leisure Park.
“The building will include lecture rooms, a dormitory with 100 beds or good for four teams, an auditorium, a rehab and fitness gym,” said Araneta. “This won’t be only for PFF. We will share this facility with other NSAs. We signed a 25-year lease for the artificial pitch which is now being used in various competitions. Once our building is finished, we could invite foreign teams to play matches at the pitch and players could stay at our dorm without paying for a hotel.”
Araneta said PFF receives $2.7 million a year from FIFA and AFC. The FIFA grant of $1.5 million is split $500,000 each for infrastructure, administrative expenses and projects for women, grassroots, futsal, youth and others. The AFC grant is broken down into $400,000 for infrastructure, $200,000 for technical development, $200,000 for exposure and travel and $200,000 for administrative and tournament expenses. Aside from the subsidy, PFF receives an allocation of about P15 million a year for overseas competitions from PSC. The players and coaches in the national football pool do not receive an allowance from PSC. PFF is also supported by various sponsors.
Since taking over as PFF president in 2010, Araneta has brought the sport to new heights. It was under his watch when the Philippine national men’s team ranked an all-time high of No. 111 in the world in May last year. The current ranking is No. 124. Last year, the Philippines made it to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers and this year, played in its first Asian Cup.
Another achievement was increasing the level of Grade A coaches from two to 21, Grade B coaches from 60 to 108 and Grade C coaches from 100 to 604. Three Filipinos are now in line to receive FIFA pro licenses for the first time ever. In Asia, only the Philippines and Japan are accredited to conduct AFC-certified coaching courses.
A few weeks ago, Araneta was elected to a four-year term as one of five Asian males to join the 35-strong FIFA Council representing 211 member nations. In 2017, he was voted to fill one of two Asian slots in the Council when the statutes were changed to increase the participation from three to five. Since it was in the middle of a four-year term, Araneta served for only two years until his recent election. While in the Council on his first term, Araneta participated in deliberations to institutionalize the Video-Assistant-Referee system and to select hosts for the World Cup in an open, transparent voting among the members. Araneta said representing the Philippines and Asia in the FIFA Council is a highlight in his football history.