The Philippine delegation at the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 in Uzbekistan. Handout/FIFA
Preparations for the country's hosting of the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup are now underway.
Top officials of the event's local organizing committee took part in a four-day observer program during the Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan, allowing them to learn what are needed to organize the FIFA event.
The delegation included Angelico Mercader (Secretary General of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), Aurelio San Agustín (LOC Director), Kevin Goco (PFF Assistant General Secretary), Arne Reodique (Head of Marketing) and Ritchie Ganaban (Head of Competitions).
For Mercader, the program "slightly served as a "crash course" on assembling the event.
“Our federation was appointed as host of the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup in 2025. And, as part of the LOC [Local Organising Committee], we were invited to [come] here to witness how the FIFA Futsal [Men’s] World Cup is done. And, it’s been very exciting for us. It’s slightly a crash course about how to organise a Futsal World Cup," said Mercader.
"This is a very important milestone for us and we hope to meet and exceed expectations," Mercader added.
With the knowledge and experience gained in Uzbekistan, the delegation is now even more confident that the Futsal Women's World Cup will be a tournament to remember.
READ: FIFA confirms dates for Futsal Women's World Cup in PH
"It was an eye-opening experience for me," said San Agustín. "The challenge for us is to replicate something like this. When we first arrived, we only had a rough idea of what the LOC could do. But after talking to FIFA officials and the Local Organising Committee, we have a clear vision."
READ: PH to host FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup in 2025
They also had the unique opportunity in Uzbekistan to interact with key stakeholders, from competition directors to event coordinators and the stadium management team.
The Futsal Women's World Cup will take place on November 21 to December 7 next year in the Philippines.
The dates were decided during the FIFA Council meeting in Zurich.
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