Circulo Verde is the new home of flag football
MANILA, Philippines - Flag football, a new addiction for sports fans, set its hub in Verde Weekends, Circulo Verde located at Bagumbayan. The B-League Flag Football Club led by coach Joseph Pagulayan opened a league in Metro Manila where 25 teams vied for the glory of being the best flag football team in the metro.
Flag football is a version of American football with a slightly different rule: Instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag belt from the ball carrier, a trick known as deflagging, in order to earn a down. Over the years, flag football has gained a significant following in the Philippines as celebrities like Derek Ramsay, Gaby de la Merced, and Will Devaugn have taken interest in the sport.
Coinciding with the commencement of the competition is the opening of Verde Weekends Phase 2, with a total of 6,400 square yards dedicated as the home base of the B-League Flag Football Club. Verde Weekends is an interim development within the 12-hectare Ortigas & Co. project, Circulo Verde. This is meant to be a preview of the kind of lifestyle residents would have upon the completion of Circulo Verde with its first two towers — Majorca and Ibiza — now being constructed.
The B-League Flag Football Club is an organization founded by 11-year flag football veteran and multi-sport and fitness trainer coach Joseph Pagulayan. Coach Joseph started a grassroots campaign in 2009 to spread awareness and excitement about flag football. Since then, they have organized several tournaments with different themes and prize incentives.
Current players of the sport work hard on weekdays and play hard on weekends. Surprisingly, what used to be a male-dominated sport has attracted women who cover 40-percent of the players’ population.
Coach Joseph Pagulayan, head of B-League Flag Football Club“We used to play and compete for space in the UP Sunken Garden during Saturdays — this was a challenge to the growth of the league. Now that space is available at Circulo Verde, we can expect more people to regularly come in and learn the sport. Our league has grown from nine to 25 teams, with the number of players reaching about 600. Back in ’99, I started out with 10 dedicated people and look how we’ve grown,” says coach Joseph.
B-League has a lot of plans for this year and next, including an Asian Invitational slated on the first quarter of 2011.
“Providing this specific land area is a move by Ortigas and Co. to support organizations that share our vision of sustainable and thriving communities. If you have much room to play, you have a means to enjoy a lifestyle not readily accessible to others. We would also like to take part in the growth of the sport here in the country and an overall shift to an active lifestyle,” says Joey F. Santos, deputy COO and general manager of Real Estate Division, Ortigas & Co.
“Phase 1 of Verde Weekends was opened to the public last June with two major attractions: the Zoom Zipline operated by Treetop Adventures and the RC racetrack,” says Jenna Belardo, marketing manager of Ortigas & Co. “Since then, the place has been frequented by RC enthusiasts, families and barkadas, as well as runners and bikers who opted to take advantage of the wide open spaces. Now, we have a new sport flourishing in these grounds.”
In the course of three months since its launch, Verde Weekends also added other attractions such as Free Fall, which is also operating under Tree Top Adventures. More attractions are to be added such as a baseball diamond and a 360-degrees ride.
For information about Circulo Verde and Verde Weekends, visit www.circuloverde.com.ph, or call The Circulo Verde Guest House at 638-1641. Follow the B-league Football Club on Facebook. For membership queries, call coach Joseph at 0915-7695269.
