Football, futsal pool expansions key for growth says Filipinas captain Hali Long

Philippine women's national football team captain Hali Long is hoping for the expansion of player pools in both football and futsal national teams to ensure continuity and development in the wake of their recent World Cup stints.

The Philippines is currently hosting the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, although the national team already bowed out of the competition after being winless in the group phase.

With the Philippines recently competing in FIFA World Cup tournaments, Long believes maintaining program continuity, expanding player pools, and strengthening international support will allow both football and futsal to reach greater heights.

“Anything to progress the sport, whether it’s football or futsal, we need to have continuity. I think we rode the wave decently enough after the Women’s World Cup in 2023. And I hope we do the same, but almost better for the Futsal World Cup,” Long said during the unveiling of the Filipinas’ newest kit, presented by lifestyle brand adidas, at the grand opening of its first football-only store in Southeast Asia last Thrusday.

“Futsal is way more accessible to the everyday Filipino in the barangays and in the villages, there’s a covered court everywhere. You just need to have a ball.

“Together with PFF, PSC, POC and having government and international backing, hopefully we can give people and children opportunities. Therefore, getting more exposure to bridge the gap within our grassroots to bring in more people,” she continued.

Currently, most members of the futsal squad that competed in the World Cup will return to football for their respective clubs, including Jaclyn Sawicki, Bella Flanigan, Katrina Guillou, and Inday Tolentin.

With many players overlapping between the two sports, Long stressed the need to widen the player pools to prevent talent shortages and create more opportunities.

“You can see how football players play futsal and vice versa. You can see the same people. To have them overlap makes things difficult,” said Long.

“If you open the futsal world here more, we can have a whole new potential sport. Yes, it’s related to football. But it’s completely different. The rules, the players. If we can have a bigger pool, we can have endless opportunities. We just need to open it up. Then we can continue the sport,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Filipinas will compete in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this month.

In the 2023 edition in Cambodia, the Philippines finished third in the group stage despite beating eventual champions Vietnam, 2–1, due to an inferior goal difference.

This time, the Mark Torcaso-led Filipinas have a chance to get back at their previous tormentors, as they once again share Group B with Vietnam, Myanmar, and Malaysia.

Despite challenges with player availability, since the SEA Games does not fall within a FIFA window, the Filipinas remain committed to delivering a strong performance.

“The players we have coming in have good energy, and aren’t new to the system. So we are looking to become complete once we get to Chonburi and get the tournament going,” she added.

Group matches and podium battles will be staged across two venues in Chonburi, with the gold medal match scheduled for December 17.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News