The Philippine Azkals : Dogs On The Loose

The Philippine Football Federation President, Mariano Arenato said that, "before there was no support at all for the team. The story behind the name “Azkals” is that the players were talking among themselves how they were just like stray dogs, eating leftovers. So they asked themselves, why didn’t they call themselves the Azkals then?" A new name for a new team was reborn. Six years has gone by, and the support and fans for the team has grown and spread like wildfire. They were given a very warm welcome and the full support of Filipinos, not only here in the Philippines, but all over the world. 

The manager of the team, Dan Palami says that having these many azkaleros' and azkaleras' support, filling the stadium every game is very inspiring, cause the effort you put into building the team, the years, the resources – suddenly, becomes irrelevant once you see the support of your fellow Filipinos. Where once, you felt alone, now you feel like there are a lot cheering you on. For the players and for the manager,himself, it would be an experience they would like to repeat again and again.

Day by day, as time passed by, and as the team grew, the support has evolved into an overwhelming number of fans. The PFF received a random email from a young fan who was playing a FIFA video game and found out that two Chelsea youth academy players had the Filipino Blood in them, so they were eligible to play for the Philippine Azkals. This is where Phil and James Younghusband came into play with the Filipino Team. They soon became members of our country’s football team. With this, more Filipino Foreigners started joining the team, and this became the core of the Azkals.

The year 2010 was the turning point of the team. During the AFF Suzuki cup, the Azkals got a 1-1 draw with the champion to beat, Singapore, which scored a 2-0 against the overpowering country Vietnam. This was absolutely the biggest upset in tournament history. The Philippines barely lost to the country Indonesia with a score of 1-0 in front of Indonesian fans in Jakarta. With this, the Philippine Azkals won the heart and support of the Filipinos.

They found a home in their own fellowmen’s hearts. Kuwait ranked 102nd, marking the strongest competition the Azkals has ever faced in their entire team history. Mariano knows that their strongest competition isn’t Kuwait, but the lack of good quality development for younger and local Filipino football players. He says that his goal is really to develop the roots, so that our team will have more players on the national level later on in the future. He also says that if ever we qualify for the World cup, which would be his Goal, they have to perform excellently. 

They will serve as future reference and inspiration for the young players in the country. People always strive to depend on inspiration and role models. He wants the Azkals to be good role models for the youth of the team. Palami wants to continue recruiting Filipinos playing abroad for the next few years. By that time, the roots have grown and have started to impact the youth, and that many more footballers will be skilled and talented enough to make the azkals team play on an international stage. 

Our country is now being known internationally as an emerging country when it comes to football. In the words of Palami, “Finally we can say that there is really a future for this sport with Filipinos. Where before we were once knocking now we have one foot in the door. This could only improve in the next years”. 

I find this very practical for the Azkals. They serve as inspiration and as role models for the younger and aspiring football fans. Soccer players are strong and smart. They have certain techniques that they use to make the game work towards the way they want it to be played. People thrive on inspiration, so if ever the Philippine team might get into the world cup, they can set a great example to others to never give up for what they want to achieve in life. Whether it’s a simple or complicated goal, you have to work hard for what you want. For once, we can all say, that we are Filipinos, and we have a future in playing football.