The World Cup fever is on and many around the world have caught it. Even here in the Philippines, despite the fact that the country is not one of those qualified to join this global competition, unfortunately.
That does not take away the fact that Philippine football in recent years is enjoying a steady rise in popularity, thanks in part to the performance of the Philippine football team belovedly known as the Azkals. There is also the presence of up-and-coming football league in the country, the United Football League (UFL) which was founded in 2009 to help promote Philippine football.
The UFL may not yet be a household name as the Philippine Basketball Association is today, but the growth of Philippine football has helped get the UFL some needed exposure, enough to warrant a home to call its own.
Thus came the idea of a home the UFL can call its own. To help realize that, they came into an agreement with Megaworld, one of the big commercial developers in the country that a part of one of its development townships will be allotted for the construction of a football stadium.
The result was the opening in February 2013 of a 15,000 hectare football field of artificial turf, with a 2,000 seating capacity with room for future expansion. This stadium was given the name Emperador Stadium, named after not some imperial character but after Emperador Distillers, the distillery behind Emperador Brandy and also a sister company of Megaworld. One has to give Megaworld credit for conceptualizing having a sports facility like this right in a bustling business district, which in a way can be helpful in attracting spectators.
Emperador Stadium is located near the edge of the McKinley Hill area. For first-time visitors, it may be a bit of a challenge to find considering that it is somewhat hidden by the presence of mid-rise buildings nearby. The directional signage, not to mention the stadium’s signage itself is of little help, if not no help at all. Hopefully the map below will be of help in a way.
Here’s hoping for better things ahead for Emperador Stadium, the UFL, and Philippine football in general.
Acknowledgements as well to Wikipedia
