CEBUANO football fans get a chance to see two members of the Philippine Women’s National Team (PWNT) players in person as Hali Long and Inna Palacios will be special guests in the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Under-19 Boys National Championship on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 at the Dynamic Herb Sports Stadium in Talisay City, Cebu.
Long, the Filipinas’ team captain, and Palacios will be having a meet-and-greet with the fans after the championship match between National Capital Region FA (NCRFA) and Stallion FC-Laguna.
Central Visayas Football Association (CVFA) president Rodney Orale is thankful that Long and Palacios along with PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta and head of women’s football and PWNT team administrator Isabella Fernando-Dela Cruz took time off from their busy schedules to visit Cebu.
“Their visit means a lot. They (Long and Palacios) have given a lot of inspiration to the youth, especially to aspiring girl football players here in Cebu,” Orale told SunStar Cebu.
“We are very thankful to PFF president Nonong Araneta for his support and for giving the CVFA the chance to be visited by no less than himself and two Filipinas players. We are thankful and grateful for the support of the PFF.”
NCRFA earned a slot in the finals after a 7-1 thrashing of PFA, while Stallion FC-Laguna beat home team CVFA, 3-2, in the semifinals last Aug. 22. The championship match kicks off at 2 p.m.
After the championship match, Long and Palacios will be giving the fans the opportunity to take pictures with them and sign autographs.
Long and Palacios are two of the longest tenured players of the Filipinas.
Long has 76 caps for the national team and played in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. Meanwhile, Palacios has 62 caps for the PWNT. Long and Palacios were both in the squad that won the AFF Women’s Championship, the PWNT’s first international title. Palacios, however, wasn’t included in the roster of the PWNT in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. / EKA