Rizal Memorial Stadium

Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium, simply known as the Rizal Memorial Stadium since it is the main stadium within the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and is also the national stadium of the Philippines. It served as the main stadium of the 1954 Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games on three occasions. It is also officially the home of the Philippines national football team, but due to the deterioration of the of the entire venue, it became unfit to host international matches until 2011, when renovation was completed.

Renovation

Since the 1930's, it has hosted all major local football tournaments and some international matches. When a new tartan track was laid out at the oval for the country’s initial hosting of the 1981 Southeast Asian Games, the venue became a hub for athletics and the football field’s condition slowly deteriorated. It eventually became unsuitable for international matches which meant the Philippine national team would have to play their home games at an alternate venue.

In early 2009, as the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) announced plans to renovate the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, restoration of the football field and stadium was also planned. The restoration would include removing the track oval and transforming it to a modern football stadium. The PSC has vowed to raise money from the private sector and the government, totaling at least ₱50 million for the renovation, which they plan on doing sometime in the last quarter of 2009. In February 2010, it was announced that the PSC was still waiting for a private partner to co-finance the project, therefore the original schedule for the renovation was delayed.

The renovation of the stadium is one of many projects of the PSC to help struggling associations to be more competitive. Although the transformation of the Rizal Stadium into a football-specific stadium has drawn skeptics as there is a belief that it should lead to a movement to revive football in general, but won't and it doesn't do anything for the sport at grassroots level.

Despite the doubts, it was announced in February 2010 that the plans for renovation are set to start sometime in March 2010 with the participation of De La Salle University. The project is expected to finish in six months.National athletes presently training at the track and field oval will be relocated at the PhilSports Complex or at the PSC training center in Baguio.

After renovations in 2011 in preparation for a FIFA World Cup Qualifying match, the stadium was found to be able to seat 12,873 in accordance with FIFA's seating specifications.

Events,Sports

The Rizal Memorial Stadium was the main venue for various football and athletics events during the:

1954 Asian Games

1966 AFC Youth Championship

1970 AFC Youth Championship

1981 Southeast Asian Games

1991 Southeast Asian Games

2005 Southeast Asian Games (Athletics only)

Concerts

On 4 July 1966, the Rizal Memorial Stadium hosted two soldout concerts The Beatles held in Manila and was one of only two cities in Asia they have ever played in. The combined attendance was 80,000 with the evening concert registering 50,000 paying audience and became The Beatles' second biggest concert ever.

Others

Our Lady of Fatima University celebrates its annual Foundation Day at Rizal Stadium every February 13.

Philippines national football team

Philippines national football team is the national football team of the Philippines and represents the country in international football. The team is controlled by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the governing body of football in the Philippines.

Despite being one of the oldest national teams in Asia, the Philippines has never qualified for the Asian Cup or the World Cup. However, they enjoyed some success in its early years between 1913 and 1934 in the Far Eastern Championship Games.

History

In September 2006 the country fell to 195th on the FIFA World Rankings, its lowest ever. By the end of the year, the Philippines moved back up to 171st overall, after a good run in the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship qualification. They were able to win three games in a row which was a first for the Philippines and thus qualifying for the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship. Coach at that time Aris Caslib, aimed to reach the semi-finals with two wins at the group stage. The decision came despite Philippine Football Federation president Juan Miguel Romualdez stating that they would still be underdogs in the tournament and that they mustn't raise their expectations too high, as the Philippines have only won their first ever win of the tournament during the 2004 edition.

The Philippines eventually failed to reach their target, only getting a draw in three matches. Their poor performances led to Caslib's resignation, as well as the refusal of the PFF to register and enter the qualification stages for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They would be one of four nations, all from Southeast Asia not to enter after a record number of entries. However it was revealed that the decision not to enter the 2010 as well as the 2006 World Cup qualification was made during the PFF presidency of Rene Adad, whose term ended in 2003. Instead, the PFF wanted to focus on domestic and regional competitions.

Since 2007, the Philippines have failed to qualify for a major competition. They came close in 2008 after missing out on the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup only on goal difference, and the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup with an inferior goals scored record. In 2010, they qualified for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, where they stayed undefeated in the group stage and also went on to beat defending champions Vietnam, becoming one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament. The team reached the knockout stage for the first time, eventually losing to Indonesia in the semifinals. In 2011, the Philippines qualified for the AFC Challenge Cup for the first time since qualifiers were introduced in the tournament.

On July 3, 2011, the Philippines recorded their first ever victory in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, beating Sri Lanka 4-0 in the second leg of the first preliminary round. They advanced 5-1 on aggregate, drawing 1-1 in the first leg before winning at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Team Image

Kit

In March 2008, the Philippine Football Federation signed a three-year, ₱9-million contract with Mizuno to become the official outfitter and equipment supplier of the national team, as well as becoming a major partner in its grassroots development programs. The previous outfitter was Adidas. The traditional home kit is similar to the France national team; blue jersey, white shorts, and red socks. However, in recent times, the home and away kit has either been all-blue, all-red or all-white. Currently the home kit is all-white, while the away kit is all-blue.

Names

Under the official FIFA Trigramme the team's name is abbreviated as PHI; this acronym is used by FIFA, the AFC and the AFF to identify the team in official competitions. The team is also identified under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) country code for the Philippines as PHL. However the team was more commonly known as the RP, the acronym for the country's official name, Republika ng Pilipinas, which the local press used when they referred to the team as the "RP Booters" or the "RP XI". This was until late October 2010 when the Department of Foreign Affairs decided to change the official abbreviation of the country from "RP" to "PH" or "PHL", to be in line with ISO standards.The local press have since referred to the team as either "PH/PHL Booters" or "PH/PHL XI".

Among these names, they are also referred to as the "Azkals". The name, derived from askal, a Filipino term for "street dog," became a trending topic on Twitter during the semi-finals of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup. They are also known as the "Tri–Stars" which is derived from the three stars on the Philippine flag, although this nickname is not frequently used.

Home stadium

During the early years of the Philippine national team, they played their home matches at the Manila Carnival Grounds. By 1934 it became the site of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. One of the facilities within the complex is the 30,000 capacity national stadium, known as the Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium or simply the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Since its opening, it has been the home venue of the Philippine national team.

However, it has also become a hub for athletics. The continued use for athletics along with poor maintenance has deteriorated the stadium and the 1991 Southeast Asian Games was the last time it was used for international football matches. In early 2009, the Philippine Sports Commission planned to transform it to a modern football stadium which would make it usable by the national team for international matches.

Other stadiums used:

Barotac Nuevo Plaza Field

Iloilo Sports Complex

Panaad Stadium

PhilSports Stadium