THE heritage-rich and newly-repaired pitch of the Rizal Memorial Stadium is now open for business for major international competition after formally receiving the FIFA Quality Pro certification, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann announced yesterday.
“We can now stage international competitions for our national football teams at the Rizal Stadium with this certification,” said Bachmann yesterday during the PSA forum in the company of E-sports International Managing Director Audris Romualdez, whose company installed the new artificial turf.
“We had a field test of the pitch by a noted international company on April 11 and we were able to get FIFA certification on May 3, realizing the need of having a FIFA-certified field ready for international competition,” said Romualdez, who awarded a life-sized facsimile of the important document to Bachmann during the session.
“If we want to help athletes, and help the NSAs or the sport, then we need to provide them good facilities,” said Bachmann, adding this is part of his renovation and upgrading program of the facilities under the government sports agency’s stewardship.
He was proud and grateful that E-sports was able to complete the project well and under the estimated budget for the new pitch of the same firm that installed the previous one, which was also of FIFA Quality Pro Grade.
“I want to thank our partner E-sports for completing the field on schedule and under budget,” added the PSC chief of the company that also installed the world-class track oval at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
“The FIFA Quality Pro certificate stands as a testament to the prestige and global standards that are required of the Rizal Memorial Stadium,” Romualdez pointed out, adding the new Limontas artificial turf comes with a five-year warranty.
She added that the Quality Pro certificate issued by the International Football Federation, the world football body known by its French acronym FIFA, was valid for a year, while the FIFA Quality certificate has a validity of three years.
Romualdez proudly declared that of the eight FIFA-certified field certificates, seven were done by E-Sports International.
