The fabled blue pitch of Chelsea has officially made its way to the Philippines, to become the newest addition of the Chelsea FC Soccer School Philippines (CFCSSPH), joining Tribeca along Sucat, the Alabang Country Club and the King's School Manila.
Last week, Ayala Land and The Younghusband Football Academy, led by the brothers James and Phil Younghusband, opened the Gatorade-Chelsea Blue Pitch inside The Circuit in Makati. It's the fourth pitch of its kind in the region.
The concept of the "blue pitch" is to allow communities to have a place where they can have access to high-quality facilities in order to train and play football, which then allows for the promotion of education, health and social inclusion, something that Chelsea FC focuses on with its Here to Play Here to Stay initiative. The pitch illustrates that kind of long-term commitment for the club.
The state-of-the-art 11-a-side facility is equipped with floodlights for games and trainings being held at night. The full size pitch dimension is 64.5m x 105m from line to line with 2m pitch allowance on each side. It also has additional markings that allow it to become two 7-a-side pitches, which is handy for kids and recreational clubs.
On the opening of the facility, Chelsea FC Asia Managing Director Adrian New says that "Chelsea FC is delighted to be opening yet another facility in Asia. We have been involved in the Philippines for over 18 months now and this highlights our commitment to the region. Chelsea FC has a huge fanbase in Asia and our Soccer Schools and Blue Pitches enable us to teach aspiring footballers the club's footballing ethos through professional coaching."
James adds, "It's a dream come true to have another Football Pitch for Chelsea FC Soccer School Philippines (the first being in Tribeca). With more pitches, we are looking forward to developing more kids, and have football prosper and grow in the country."
"We are very happy that more stakeholders are supporting football. With the Blue Pitch, there will be more opportunities to promote and develop the sport and have more people participate, and hopefully become the sport for all. This is another big step for Philippine Football and on behalf of The Younghusband Football Academy and CFCSSPH, we are thankful to Gatorade and Ayala for the tri-partnership," Phil opines.
The Blue Pitch will provide a high-quality training facility for youngsters to enjoy in a fun and safe environment, with coaching sessions led by local coaches, who have been fully certified and supported by the Chelsea Foundation.
CFCSSPH will have scheduled weekend sessions at 3-5pm, starting February 1. On February 2, they will have an "Open House" Free Training Session at the Gatorade-Chelsea FC Blue Pitch at 7-9am. That will also be the venue for the CFCSSPH Summer Sessions in April / May.
They will also hold 4 Tournaments this year with the following dates: March 22-23 / May 31-June 1 / Aug 30-31 / Oct 25-26
Inquires about sessions and enrollment at Chelsea FC Soccer School Philippines can be made through email info@chelseafcssph.com or by telephone 8427000, +639188378019, +639175387589.
Meanwhile, those interested in using the field can course it through Ayala Land via Rita Cristobal at 0917.534.9948
