As the Filipinas, or the Philippine National Women’s Football team, accomplished their mission of entering the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the second straight time, it is timely for us to acknowledge these ladies, who are excelling in a field that is concidered unfamiliar territory for most Filipinos.
Entering the global stage is one thing, but the support for the programs, especially in the grassroots phase, is another.
That is why the 3,500-hectare Villar City in Dasmariñas, Cavite, is currently constructing a sports facility, which aims to cater different sports.
At 3,000 square meters, The Stadium, located at the University Town area of the megacity, will serve as a house to various courts, from basketball to volleyball, padel, pickleball and badminton.
But at the forefront of the stadium is a football field, which is designed to meet FIFA standards for playing and hosting international matches and will be available to the delight of the fans as a 3,000 seating capacity will be observed in the court.
For real estate mogul and Villar Group chairman Manny Villar, who personally loves football and is the mastermind behind the construction of the megacity, the sport should be famous in the Philippines.
In a 2024 video from the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the participating stakeholders for the construction of the facility, Villar said that the construction of the football field could revive the Filipino interest in the sport.
Apart from Villar, the initiative is in partnership with Golden MV Holdings, All-Star Properties Inc. and the Dasmariñas City Local Government Unit.
As the most recent update on the facility, Villar uploaded a photo of himself during an ocular visit at the space, which is still under construction.
Grassroots program
Most Filipino athletes face the problem of lack of facilities that serve as a reason why they fall short of reaching their dreams, alongside stepping on global stages.
This is a relief for those living in the southern part of Luzon, especially those far from Capas, Tarlac, which houses the National Academy of Sports and the New Clark City Stadium. It also offers a wide array of training facilities as it has been the host city in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
The space could be a good training ground for young athletes living in the metro as it is easily accessible through the Manila-Cavite Expressway (MCX) and Daang Hari Road.
Athletes living around other cities and provinces of Cavite, alongside Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, can also easily find their way through the sports facility.
Sports tourism
Apart from aiding the grassroots program of various sports, the Villar City Stadium is also slated to become a hosting facility for more world-class leagues.
In 2025 alone, the Philippines hosted three international leagues, from the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championships, the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup and the 2025 Junior World Artistic Gymnastic Championships.
This year, the Philippines hosted its first WTA-accredited event through the WTA 125 held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, where we saw the growth of tennis in the Philippine soil following Alex Eala’s heroics.
Gilas Pilipinas also played home games against New Zealand and Australia at SM Mall of Asia Arena for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers for a brief period between February and March 2026.
With the wide offering of courts, the Villar City Stadium could easily become the next top sports destination, considering its proximity to various provinces and Metro Manila.
It could become a breathing ground added to the long list of arenas listed under the metro, which can become suffocating, at times, considering the traffic.