The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Football Federation (PFF), and the City Government of San Juan formally launched the city’s first-ever Futsal Development Program on Saturday, August 29, opening new opportunities for children across 21 barangays to discover and develop their potential in the sport.
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, PSC Chairman John Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, and PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez led the launch at the Barangay Tibagan Basketball Court, highlighting the three-way partnership’s commitment to bringing structured sports development closer to the grassroots through integration with local government units (LGUs).
L-R: PFF President John Gutierrez, PSC Chair Pato Gregorio, and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora lead the San Juan Barangay Futsal program and ball distribution.
The initiative is funded by PSC, while PFF will provide technical expertise, train local coaches, and oversee the program’s initial one-year implementation.
To kickstart the program, PSC turned over 120 futsal balls and 20 pairs of futsal goals to the City Government of San Juan to support training activities in the city’s barangays.
Gutierrez welcomed San Juan’s role as the pilot LGU for the PFF’s planned grassroots futsal expansion in Metro Manila.
“I’m very happy to be here to launch the pilot program of futsal nowhere else but San Juan City. Thank you very much to Mayor Francis,” Gutierrez said. “I hope other cities will follow this example of San Juan. Of course, I’d also like to thank our number one supporter, the Philippine Sports Commission under Chairman Pato. Without him, we cannot get this program off the ground.”
For Zamora, a former UAAP basketball player, futsal provides an ideal avenue for San Juan to expand football participation despite the city’s limited land area and scarcity of traditional football fields.
“First time po natin magsagawa ng futsal program sa San Juan at excited po kami, lalo na para sa mga bata,” Zamora said. “Alam naman po natin dito sa San Juan, wala po tayong lupa para magkaroon ng mga football field. Ngunit marami tayong mga covered basketball court na pwede nating gamitin para po mag-futsal o yung tinatawag na indoor football.”
“Sa tulong po nila ay magkakaroon ang ating mga barangay ng mga futsal goals at mga bola para po sa futsal o yung indoor football,” he added, acknowledging the support of PSC, PFF, and San Juan’s city and barangay officials.
The program will bring organized futsal training directly to communities, with young San Juaneños expected to train two to three times a week in their respective barangays. Each cycle will feature twelve training sessions followed by a futsal league tournament, before another twelve-session training cycle and succeeding competition.
The structured training-and-competition format is designed to develop technical skills, encourage regular participation, identify promising young players, and establish a sustainable grassroots futsal pathway while simultaneously building the capabilities of local coaches.
PSC will also fund a Training of Trainers program, with PFF coaches providing instruction to San Juan’s local coaching pool.
PFF Technical Director and Philippine Women’s National Futsal Team head coach Rafa Merino likewise joined the launch and will support the rollout and coach education component of the program. Merino also guided young participants through the fundamentals of futsal during the inaugural activities.
Filipina5 head coach and PFF Technical Director Rafa Merino imparting futsal tips to San Juan children.
Gregorio underscored the importance of taking sports development beyond traditional elite-athlete centers and into local communities.
“Walang elite athlete, walang national athlete, kung walang grassroots athlete,” he added, describing San Juan’s initiative as a model collaboration between government and the local government unit.
Gregorio also highlighted futsal’s accessibility and suitability for Filipino athletes.
“Perfect po ang futsal dyan kasi naniniwala ako na ang football, ang futsal, kayang kaya hong gumaling ng mga Pilipino dyan. Walang tangkad dyan, liksi at bilis lang po yan,” he said.
Following the equipment turnover, an exhibition futsal match featuring NCR Football Association-accredited club teams showcased the sport and gave the young participants an opportunity to experience competitive futsal.
The San Juan City Futsal Development Program marks another step in PFF’s continuing grassroots development efforts, while reinforcing the PSC’s commitment to making sports more accessible by strengthening LGU partnerships to create sustainable pathways from grassroots participation to high-level competition.
