Ateneo gets a new field

[bang]

These types of projects make better sense than when ateneo boosters acquired the cleveland cav's hardwood in a kneejerk/fancied attempt to revive its then dormant basketball program.. Oops, wrong era

it was actually the 2000 NBA All Star Game floor-- the same floor where vince carter won the slam dunk contest. but, yeah, i get your point.

[slamm]

These types of projects make better sense than when ateneo boosters acquired the cleveland cav's hardwood in a kneejerk/fancied attempt to revive its then dormant basketball program.. Oops, wrong era

But hey after getting that floor, Ateneo went into the Final 4, the finals and finally won a championship in a dramatic fashion (Everyone from DLSU and their mothers were getting effin sick at all the Ateneo news articles and ads at that time... it ran for a solid week).

Nice to see they're working on a world class soccer field. Having it at the University fields area is better than the HS fields IMO as its more accessible to the general public, there's more parking and ingress-egress options during events.

But yes, parking already sucks... Back in my time (1999-2002), the "last resort" parking was the SEC area.

[Milo96]

^I can understand were you're coming from especially when the last remaining open field in La Salle is now being built with a Sy-sponsored structure.

Did DLSU ever consider relocating some of their colleges to areas with apt space?

I heard they were supposed to transfer to the Payanig sa Pasig property (Metrowalk, Ortigas Home Depot) before the idea was shelved after the Edsa Revolution.

[RuckuS]

at last, a real world-class field that Im sure will also be used by our own National Teams (Football, Track & Field, etc.)

i also hope that Ateneo will put up suitable number of bleacher seats so they can have large sporting events there and not just a training facility. sobrang deteriorated na yung sa ULTRA mas lalo na Rizal Memorial, maybe the UAAP or even Azkals can have games there at the Moro Field when its done.

[Milo96]

I wish they design it like the Cowboys Stadium where basketball games can also be played there.

[azgauth]

its nice to know that schools (i.e. UST's new gym, ADMU's new field) are now upgrading their sports facilities at par with their international counterparts for the use of their students and fellowmen. (I dunno if I'm gonna count SM Arena since its not really inside NU's campus.)

[Krazie_bone]

at last, a real world-class field that Im sure will also be used by our own National Teams (Football, Track & Field, etc.)

i also hope that Ateneo will put up suitable number of bleacher seats so they can have large sporting events there and not just a training facility. sobrang deteriorated na yung sa ULTRA mas lalo na Rizal Memorial, maybe the UAAP or even Azkals can have games there at the Moro Field when its done.

Really now? Were you able to attend the two home matches of the National Football team at Rizal Memorial? The on-site facilities have vastly improved, from the pitch (best in the Phils right now, next to Panaad in Negros, to the patron and grandstand seats (which have been installed with new plastic chairs) and bleacher rows (center and side) that have been repainted and refurbished. Besides, FIFA-Asia would have ruled out the two home games of the Azkals if the stadium was not up to par with the organization's standards, which is why the PH team conceded playing in Indonesia for their home leg in the 2010 Suzuki Cup as well as playing in Panaad during the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers against Mongolia last March.

The renovated Erenchun will be a good training facility for the PH men's and women's football teams aside from the UMak pitch, since most of the team members reside in the central NCR area hence the proximity in the location, but in order to hold national sporting events there, a vast revamp, which will thoroughly affect the parking lots and the forested area behind the field, should take place in order to relocate the field and construct seats that will allow capacity good for 5,000 and more patrons.

Personally, if Erenchun would not be available in time for the UAAP Football Finals (between late February to early March), I'd like the alternate venue to be the Rizal Memorial Stadium instead.

[RuckuS]

^^ haha nope, i havent been back to Rizal Memorial since maybe the early 2000's but if you say its "vastly improved" now due to repainting and refurbished plastic chairs, then id just have to take your word for it. if its good enough for FIFA-Asia then it must be world class.

right.

[Milo96]

I find it sad that the stadium capacity of Rizal is less than the capacity of Araneta which holds basketball game even if the playing court of football plus a race track around it would give it a definite advantage in terms of having a wider perimeter. A regular Ateneo La Salle game can easily hit 16k. The home game of the Azkals could only sell 12k despite the huge demand for the expensive tickets.

Having seen the Rizal Stadium layout in the 2 home games, I do not think it can be renovated to expand seating capacity to approximate our South East Asian neighbors' national stadia. Furthermore, the parking problem is horrific.

If home games of the National Team is played during weekends, Ateneo's vast parking facilities no doubt is adequate for the parking requirements.

Ideally, a national stadium should be built by the national government. UP has land in Diliman set aside for such a stadium. I doubt if they will be willing to build it anytime soon.

[strandedstranger]

I don't think Ateneo's parking space will always be apt. I do hope that they soon erect a multi-level parking perhaps in the cornfields since they are planning to cement that part of Ateneo anyway.

[Jiggyboy]

To those who know, is the Ike Madamba mentioned in the press release that Madamba guy who ran mid-to-long distance track events for Ateneo High in the late 70s?

[Krazie_bone]

^^ haha nope, i havent been back to Rizal Memorial since maybe the early 2000's but if you say its "vastly improved" now due to repainting and refurbished plastic chairs, then id just have to take your word for it. if its good enough for FIFA-Asia then it must be world class.

right.

I didn't mentioned in my post that the facilities in Rizal are supposedly "world-class", as you are trying to imply. I just opposed your point of argument that the facilities in Rizal (and Ultra as well) are already dilapidated and unfit for any sporting activity. And no, the improvements are not limited to the aesthetics of the area, but also in the lighting system, the track surrounding the pitch and the washrooms as well, a far cry from the arid structure back in the 1990s.

If there was a world-class football stadium that is to anticipated, then it is the Philippine Stadium being constructed by the INC in Bocaue, Bulacan. With a projected seating capacity of 50,000, it is patterned after the football stadiums in Europe and the Middle East. End date is supposedly by 2014 or 2015.

[JulieMarBoy]

^Huh? AFAIK, the Phil. Arena is only suited for entertainment, gymnastics, basketball(maybe) etc. Yung NEU stadium naman hindi naman daw lalagyan ng football field.

[Krazie_bone]

^Huh? AFAIK, the Phil. Arena is only suited for entertainment, gymnastics, basketball(maybe) etc. Yung NEU stadium naman hindi naman daw lalagyan ng football field.

Well, as based on the initial photos released last August, there was a track /football field that was presented within the premises of the Philippine Arena, (or it could be that of the New Era University's sports complex). I don't know what has transpired after that. And, the Korean contractors of the project are also part of the team that built the famous O2 Stadium in London, the home of Arsenal FC.