PH futsal team: Sparking dreams for future Filipina athletes
In their arduous pursuit of self-growth and excellence, Alisha del Campo and Kayla Santiago—members of the Philippine national women’s futsal team—draw inspiration from female role models, as they navigate the still male-dominated sporting culture.
But with the Philippines playing host to the inaugural Fifa Futsal Women’s World Cup from Nov. 21 to Dec. 7—turning the spotlight on female grit and athleticism—Del Campo, Santiago, and the rest of the promising local squad could very well become the reason more young Filipino girls will pick up the sport and start kicking some balls.
“It’s a proud moment for the country. It’s also very exciting because having the event here will be a good opportunity to bring our sport to a wider audience. Hopefully, more kids, especially girls, could see our sport. Who knows? They might end up playing or supporting the game, too,” Del Campo, who assumes the role of winger, told Lifestyle.
The two players couldn’t emphasize enough how important female representation in sport is, and how incredibly reassuring it is to have someone they can look up to—someone who can show them what more they can achieve. For Del Campo and Santiago, that person is Inna Palacios, the trailblazing goalkeeper who played an instrumental role in the national football team’s historic run toward the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
“I look up to Inna and the rest of the football team. Seeing them qualify for the World Cup was very inspiring to me and, I’m sure, to so many other young women out there. I’m thankful to them,” Santiago, a goalkeeper herself, told Lifestyle.
“Inna has been there since the beginning. She’s a mentor to me, in and out of the sport … someone I can ask for advice. She and her teammates helped paved the way for football in the Philippines, and that’s one of the many things I admire about her,” Del Campo said.
Generating interest
That they could potentially do the same for futsal is a prospect they find challenging, but heartening.
“It would be such an honor and privilege to represent the country. We just want to keep on working hard together. We will try our best to be good role models to all the kids who might watch us,” Santiago said.
For emerging sports like futsal, there are no catalysts for growth more potent than investment, visibility, and sufficient competitive opportunities. But first, you have to generate interest. As such, the sport also stands to benefit from strong narratives and relatable personalities that could pique the curiosity of first-time spectators, especially young people hoping to get into sports.
And by setting the stage for the best of the best of women’s futsal in the country, Fifa director for tournaments Jaime Yarza hopes that young girls could find players that they can root for, and whose footsteps they can follow in the future.
“It’s something that you can’t really force. You can’t just convince young girls to play a certain sport—they have to see role models that they could follow. A lot of top players from different countries are coming over. And if you see someone you like … someone doing something exceptional, then you might want to do the same,” Yarza told Lifestyle.
“Creating role models for young girls is one of the best things we can do when it comes to developing women’s sports,” he stressed.
Accessible sport
The Fifa executive also pointed out that futsal—which could be described as a smaller, nimble version of football—is more accessible to Filipinos than its global behemoth of a cousin. The game is played indoors on a hard court similar that of basketball, for one, and requires only five players per side.
Futsal’s accessibility, coupled with its dynamic nature, could be readily more enjoyable for Filipinos, who resonate better with fast-paced action—the kind we see in basketball, volleyball, or boxing.
“It requires a smaller space, and you don’t need to be outside. You can play with 10 players, or maybe even just eight. The equipment is basic: A ball is all you need,” Yarza said. “It’s fun, it’s dynamic, it’s safe.”
“Actually, we do play and train sometimes on basketball courts. And since we’re a basketball nation, basketball courts can be found everywhere,” added Del Campo, who’s also a talented and accomplished 11-a-side football player.
While football is a test of endurance and drawn out positional plays across large spaces, futsal is more compact—a game of feints and flicks that ultimately rewards speed, agility, and improvisation. And Santiago believes that Filipinos—women, especially—are built just for that kind of environment.
“Since we’re relatively shorter, we have a lower center of gravity, and we can really use our speed. That’s why I think futsal is well-suited for young women here in the Philippines. It allows us to take advantage of our built,” she said.
Official emblem
These qualities were encapsulated within the Fifa Futsal Women’s World Cup official emblem, which was recently unveiled to further drum up interest for the prestigious tournament, which will be held at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City and Victorias City in Negros Occidental.
The emblem—which comes with the slogan “Master of Speed”—is a futsal ball rendered using distinctly Filipino visual elements and motifs, like binakol weaves, the sails of the vinta boat, and local street art. Its five-striped tail—inspired by the bamboo xylophone or gabbang—represents the five players that make up a team and simulates the sport’s constant motion.
The array of colors, meanwhile, reflects the host nation’s vibrant sights and sounds. “It combines cultural heritage and the sport’s dynamic nature. This logo is the first one, so it’s going to be memorable for years to come,” Yarza pointed out.
Futsal is still very much a niche sport, but thanks to various efforts and grassroots initiatives by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF)—which includes school programs and talent identification camps across the country—futsal is steadily gaining ground, and, in turn, helping empower women through sport.
And having the Futsal World Cup in the country, Yarza said, will only boost the sport’s appeal locally and help elevate the women’s game.
Empowering female athletes
“We’re convinced that hosting the event here—with the passion we have seen—will really animate more girls to do sport. Of course, we hope it’s going to be futsal or football,” he said. “It’s something we owe to our female athletes. We have to continue to empower them and give them the tools and opportunities in the international arena.”
The Women’s Futsal World Cup is the first Fifa event to be held in the Philippines, and only the second Fifa women’s tournament in Southeast Asia.
“This is the culmination of all our sacrifices and the investments. Now, we have the opportunity to show the world how good the Filipina athlete is,” PFF President John Gutierrez said.
Futsal is still very much a niche sport, but thanks to various efforts and grassroots initiatives by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF)—which includes school programs and talent identification camps across the country—futsal is steadily gaining ground, and, in turn, helping empower women through sport.
And having the Futsal World Cup in the country, Yarza said, will only boost the sport’s appeal locally and help elevate the women’s game.
“We’re just hoping for a fruitful journey and have the country’s support,” Del Campo said.
“We hope the girls that will represent the Philippines can do well and make Filipinos proud,” Yarza added.
About 77 teams worldwide are vying for a spot at the World Cup—more than what they had expected, Yarza said, and definitely a most positive sign toward progress. “Still, women’s futsal has a long way to go,” he said. “But as long as we’re making small steps forward, we can only get better.”
Besides, no step is too small, Santiago pointed out. “I mean, how bigger can things get? The fact that we’re hosting the event already says a lot. And we hope we can make the most out of it.”
