THE ARCHITECT OF THE FILIPINAS WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION
DO you think the team manager of the Philippine Women’s National Football Team (PWNFT) Jeff Cheng will just relax, after helping the Filipinas advance to the FIFA World Cup in Australia/New Zealand next year?
Mr. Cheng is a businessman who really loves the beautiful game. We don’t know how much money he has spent just to make the beautiful game succeed in this country.
He has supported countless of youth national teams in the past. He is also a big backer of Youth Football League in Manila before the COVID struck.
The PFF asked the help of Mr. Cheng last August and he readily accepted it. He then drew up a plan for the Filipinas to qualify for the World Cup.
He succeeded and now begins the tougher task to prepare the Filipinas to compete on a higher lever. This time it will be against the rest of the world.
We used to watch the World Cup on TV and dream of it hoping we could see a Philippine team competing against the rest of the world.. We were just dreaming.
Now, it is real. Before I die at least I have seen a Philippine team compete on the highest level. And that is thanks to the architect of the Filipinas journey to the top.
Right now, the girls take their rests. Most of them have gone home to their families while some have gone back to Manila for the media and sponsorship obligations.
But Mr. Cheng does not rest. He has to draw up plans for a year of preparation for the biggest football show on earth for women footballers.
In a message to Pinoyfootball Mr. Cheng confirmed that he will continue to look after the PWNFT and the girls will be back in the training camp soon in preparation for the coming tournaments.
“Congratulations to all! I will continue to look after the PWNFT up to the World Cup 2023.
We also have to prepare for the South East Asian Games (SEAGames), the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), and the Asian Games,’’ he said,
Mr. Cheng added that the SEAGames will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam starting on May 23 this year. It was supposed to be held in December last year but because of COViD it was reset for this year.
Then the Filipinas will compete in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Cup which will be probably be held in Manila in the middle of the year.
The Filipinas will then cap their year long preparation with a participation in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China Sept. 10-25.
I personally met Mr. Jeff Cheng in his office at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) compound in 2017 after I brought my wife to the airport for her trip abroad.
Mr. Chen is a soft spoken gentleman who really loves football.
Football is in his bloodstream and his heart is shaped like a soccer ball.
During the interview, Mr. Cheng said that football is his passion and it is his mission to help football in the Philippines.
He added that just like other people who join prominent social clubs, like the Rotary, Jaycees Lions Club, Eagles Club to help, supporting football is his way to help the community.
Mr. Cheng is established the Davao Aguilas FC in 2017. They were based in Tagum, Davao del Norte. They then joined the Philippine Football League (PFL).
Mr. Cheng however disbanded the team in the late 2018 after a disagreement with the PFF on running the PFL.
The issue have now long been forgotten and the PFF and Mr. Cheng have shook hands and have agreed in improving the beautiful game, specially the women’s game..
“Thank you players, coaches and staff. You deserve all the credits. Great effort, great character, a proud moment indeed for all the Filipinos. On to the World Cup,’’ Mr Cheng said right after their victory over Chinese Taipei.
Despite of their 0-2 loss to the power house South Korean team in the semis, Mr. Cheng congratulated everyone involved with the team. “Thank you and congratulations to all.”
Under Mr. Cheng, the PWNFT had the longest preparation ever. They started their prep in August last year for the qualifying matches in Uzbekistan in Sept. 2021.
The Filipinas then under coach Marlon Maro, went to the US for a month long training camp before they flew to Uzbekistan for the qualifying.
The Filipinas then secured a place in the AFC Women’s Cup in India when they swept their opponents, beating Nepal 2-1 and Hong Kong also 2-1.
Thanai Annis and Camille Wilson scored one goal each against Nepal while Annis scored again against Hong Kong while Chandler McDaniel added another one.
After the qualifying tournament, the Filipinas revamped their coaching staff and started another training camp in California as early as November last year.
Coach Maro and his staff were replaced by Allen Stajcic, the former Australian National Women’s Football Team coach from 2014-2019. Under him, the Matildas played in the World Cup in Canada IN 2015, and in the Olympics in Rio in 2016.
Mr. Cheng’s gamble on Allen Stajcic has paid off as the Australian led Filipinas to the semis in the AFC Women’s Cup in India just recently.
Hopefully his contract will be extended until the World Cup next year to help the Filipinas in the many tournaments to come this year.
This PWNFT is actually a long time project that has started when most of these players were still in their teens. Coach Ernie Nieras started this project with the help of then team manager Filbert Alquiros.
Throughout the years, the girls improved and with the support of the PFF president Nonong Araneta, general secretary Edwin Gastanes, MVP Sports Foundation and an army of coaching staff, they have slowly and surely won matches.
The entry of Mr. Cheng to the equation as manager late last year was the turning point. It proved only one thing, that long time preparation is the key to success for any team that would join any competition.
If you count from August 2021 until February 2022, the Filipinas actually had six months of gruelling training here and abroad.
Their sacrifices have paid off but soon they will begin the new process of preparing and competing in three different tournaments this year before they will face the big girls of football in the World Cup.
The Filipinas will definitely have the support of the entire Filipino nation. But when in time of their needs there is only one man that they could call, that is Mr. Jeff Cheng. (jackbiantan@yahoo.com)
