The newly opened MOA Football Pitch in Pasay. Photo from Rom Anzures, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — The Mall of Asia Football Pitch in Pasay is officially open.

Philippine women’s national football team members Sarina Bolden, Quinley Quezada, Jacklyn Sawiki, Chandler and Olivia McDaniel, Philippine Football Federation President John Gutierrez, and officials from MOA inaugurated the FIFA-grade field which can be found at the top of the mall’s main building.

“Thank you so much to the management and SM MOA for making football a part of this program,” said Gutierrez during the ribbon cutting. “In partnership with the PFF, we hope that we can produce more locally-developed players.”

“With a world-class pitch like this, the sky's the limit,” he added of the pitch that is currently housing 1,800 seats but is designed to be expandable. 

The Filipinas took the stage at 7:00 p.m. for an exhibition match -- the highlight of their nine-day camp in Manila.

They are expected to compete in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, the ASEAN Women’s Championships, and the Southeast Asian Games later this year.

Meanwhile, aside from the Filipinas, the pitch will also be available to be rented by professional, collegiate, semi-pro, and amateur leagues, as well as the public for leisure.

“It would entail new football players, student-athletes, and possibly, future members of the National teams,” Lester Louie Lee, the sales manager of Sports & Play International Corporation, told ABS-CBN News on Tuesday. 

He added that the pitch, which cost almost P30 million, took more than a decade to develop and make, and shared why MOA was a good spot to build the facility in. 

“It’s MOA, it’s the center of everything,” Lee said. “It’s very accessible to the public, so when we have this pitch on top of the mall, it gives access to all players.”

However, this facility in Pasay is far from being their last project.

“We’re building more pitches in the Metro: In Ortigas, and in Quezon City,” he revealed.

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