A 10-hectare facility geared towards the training of promising tennis talents will be built at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said on Friday.

The move to put up a training center came on the heels of Alex Eala’s breakthrough win in the US Open and its construction is in collaboration with the Philippine Tennis Association (PTA).

“With the recent success of Alex Eala, we are about to sign an agreement with the PTA to be our partner in establishing a headquarters and main training facilities as well. The signing is by September this year,” said BCDA president and chief executive officer and Engr. Joshua Bingcang.

After making history by defeating Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the opening round, Eala bowed out of the 2025 US Open after falling short to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the next round.

Despite her early exit, interest in Eala remains high.

Moreover, the BCDA official said that the move was to heed the orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., vowing full support for athletes as well as national sporting events in line with plans to create a nationwide program for sports development.

The BCDA has the vision to transform the Philippines into a hub for world-class sports facilities and earlier sealed a partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to optimize the use of BCDA properties for national sports development.

Earlier this month, Bingcang and PSC chairperson John Patrick “Pato” Gregorio signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aims to modernize the country’s sports infrastructure by leveraging key BCDA assets.

Under the agreement, BCDA and PSC will form a joint task force to identify and assess BCDA properties that can be developed into premier training and sports facilities.

Among the priority locations are New Clark City, which is envisioned to host a national training center, and Baguio City, identified for the establishment of an additional high-performance facility.

New Clark City, positioned as the country’s new premier sports destination, boasts top-tier facilities, including World Athletics-certified Athletics Stadium, which has a 20,000-seating capacity with a nine-lane 400-meter track and field and four-lane warm-up track.

A World Aquatics-approved Aquatics Center, boasting a total seating capacity of 2,000, a 10-lane competition pool, eight-lane training pool and a diving pool is also within the New Clark City area.

Additionally, the 525-unit Athletes’ Village provides accommodations for participating and training athletes in New Clark City. The rising metropolis also serves as the home for the National Academy of Sports.