AFTER several months of playing overseas, the celebrated Philippine women’s national football team (PWNT) finally gets an opportunity to play on home soil in the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship set to begin on Monday.
The Filipinas are now in Manila and have begun training at the Philippine Football Federation National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite. They start their campaign on Monday with a match against powerhouse Australia at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium where all their fixtures will be held.
Treat for Filipinas
Most of the Filipinas will be playing in the Philippines for the first time, and head coach Alen Stajcic said it will be a treat for them to see action in front of their fans.
“We’ve been in Europe subcontinent, Australia, North America just in my seven months in the team. There’s a lot of leading and growth that has happened. We are really looking forward to the next chapter and playing on home soil is something special,” said Stajcic, also in the Philippines for the first time.
In their time away from the Philippines, the team has made great gains, highlighting its run by punching a historic ticket to the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Filipinas also had a landmark achievement in the Southeast Asian region, bagging the SEA Games bronze last May in Vietnam, the country’s first medal in the regional competition since 1985.
“I know I can speak for all the girls how excited it is playing in the Philippines,” said Filipinas skipper Tahnai Anis. “This will be my first time playing in the Philippines. We all have family, extended family, and immediate family. It will mean much more to get to play in front of friends, families, and supporters.”
“Since we’ve been playing all over, we really haven’t got that home field advantage. Everybody is excited for that. All the support will help us in the long tournament. Everybody is excited and honored to play in the Philippines,” said Anis.
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