BLAST
Kia funds young Filipino tennis talents
Junior tennis players in the Philippines have secured fresh financial backing through a grassroots sports initiative. Kia Philippines has partnered with the Philippine Tennis Academy to support young athletes through the Play It Forward Fundraising Tournament.
Reflecting Kia’s commitment to Movement That Inspires, the partnership aims to empower young athletes and elevate Philippine tennis to the global stage.
The car company has committed an annual fund of P1 million directly to the academy. This financial backing covers tournament fees, round-trip travel, and hotel accommodations for more than 30 academy scholar entries in upcoming competitions.
In addition, 10 chosen scholars receive dedicated funding for specialized coaching, personal gear, and training equipment. The joint effort also organizes community tennis clinics and tournaments across local areas to give more kids a chance to pick up a racket.
The athletic program started in Alabang, bringing together sports advocates and young competitors on the court.
Philippine Tennis Academy founder and chairman Rommie Chan joined Kia Philippines marketing director Patrick Manigbas to kick off the partnership alongside student athletes.
Leadership from both groups spent time on the clay courts with scholar athletes who demonstrated baseline drills and doubles matches.
The sports program runs under Kia Philippines, a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation’s mobility platform, ACMobility. Kia manages 38 dealership locations across the country and sells passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and commercial vehicles nationwide.
The local car distributor links the tennis project to its global marketing theme around movement.
Competitive tennis requires extensive travel, costly gear, and routine tournament access, which often strains young athletes and their families.
The new development fund intends to remove those financial obstacles so promising local players can gain ranking points and compete on the international stage.