MANILA, Philippines - Born just 11 months apart in Middlesex, England to a Filipina mother and a British father, Phil and James Younghusband have become the poster boys of local football after they made a swing from Europe as part of the youth and reserve teams of England’s premier football club Chelsea to Asia as lead athletes of Philippine national football team Azkals. Tomorrow night at 10:15, Anggulo tackles the days in the lives of James and Phil on TV5 and Aksyon TV.
The names Phil and James have almost become synonymous with the prominence of football in the country. Despite their commonalities, the two seem to take different paths. Striker Phil once joined a celebrity singing competition and has a celebrity steady date in the person of Angel Locsin.
The usually shy, midfielder James, on the other hand, continues to link football and their fame. He says he wanted to use their popularity to promote football in the country and wants it to be a sport for the working class too and not just for the elite.
Together they have put up The Younghusband Football Academy (TYFA), a football tutorial program which they bring nationwide. They also strike a pose in front of the camera as models and endorsers of different products, and serve as football ambassadors of AKTV, TV5’s sports block.
Join broadcast journalist Luchi Cruz-Valdes and senior reporters Roices Naguit-Sibal, Maricel Halili and Ina Zara as they take a shot on getting James’ and Phil’s insights about football, family and fame on TV5; with a one-hour Producer’s Cut at earlier timeslot (7:30 p.m.) on Aksyon TV (Channel 41 in Mega Manila, Channel 29 in Metro Cebu and Davao, Channel 1 on Cignal Digital TV and Channel 59 on Sky Cable).