Check Out Bridgetowne's Atleta63 Football Pitch

(SPOT.ph) In the Philippines, football—despite being the world's most popular sport—isn't as beloved as basketball, but you definitely shouldn't sleep on it.

There's a whole laundry list of reasons why football is good for you—including but not limited to the sheer number of eye candy athletes playing the game. Kidding aside, developing a leaner and toned physique, improving speed and agility, forming a knack for strategizing, should be enough reasons to get into the sport. The only thing is, here in the Philippines, because it's only mildly popular, there's one big problem: there aren't a lot of places to play football in. 

For Miguel Gutierrez, co-founder of Anytime Fitness and an avid footballer, the football community deserves more. "Most of the playing areas [and] football field areas are in schools, so you're limited by access," he says. "There are other football fields, like in BGC, McKinley, and Circuit City, but we noticed it's not enough."

This lack of facilities pushed Gutierrez and his fellow football players and soccer dads from the University of the Philippines to find a place and build their own. Thus, Atleta63 was born.

Check out Atleta63 Football Pitch in Bridgetowne:

Atleta63 is a 104-meter-by-66-meter artificial football field in the new Robinsons Land development, Bridgetowne. It's the only FIFA Quality Pro-rated field in the country, meaning it's best in class as far as football pitches are concerned. According to FIFA, football facilities rated as FIFA Quality Pro ensure "first-class performance, accuracy, and safety" and are "designed for optimal performance and use at the highest level."

To get FIFA Quality Pro rating, says Gutierrez, "experts from FIFA will come to your field, and then they're going to do some testing, some measurements, (from) the height of the turf grass [to] the height of the rubber granules, the leveling. And then after their testing, they found that our field qualifies as a FIFA quality Pro."

Getting a FIFA certification isn't just about bragging rights for Gutierrez and his team. It's about giving our football athletes a safe and optimal space to play the sport instead of dealing with uneven grounds and muddy natural fields. Considering the unpredictable weather in the Philippines, most natural fields—those that use real grass—are subject to intense wear and tear, which make them tedious to maintain and unreliable to use. 

"Our situation in the Philippines is we only have two weather seasons: it's wet or very wet," Gutierrez jokes. "So when it rains, it's hard to drain the water from the field, and then, of course, we wear spikes, shoes, cleats with studs, [the field] gets damaged, and it takes a while for the grass to regrow. So, really, the ideal playing area for us is an artificial turf field."

Don't get us wrong: artificial turfs still need a lot of upkeep. According to Gutierrez, Atleta63 brushes its field weekly to remove any dirt buildup or unwanted particles on the playing grounds and to keep the "grass" standing. In addition, they also perform major quarterly maintenance. This involves loosening and replenishing the rubber to the granules that cushion the pitch so they are not compacted and hardened which, if left unattended, could injure players' joints. "For the players who are my age and older, whose joints are not as strong as when we were younger, [this maintenance makes the field] really very forgiving on our joints and muscles," Gutierrez says. 

But there's more to playing football than just the field. There's also the equipment. Atleta63 does not provide portable gear like cones, markers, and balls, which is why they encourage athletes and football clubs to bring their own. But as for the goals and nets, Gutierrez proudly declares that they have the most goals of any football pitch in the country, with the appropriate sizing depending on the age of the players.

Who can play in Atleta63 in Bridgetowne?

Atleta63 is open to players and football clubs, whether professional, amateur, or hobbyist. Since it opened in August 2023, the football pitch has hosted several tournaments and cups. Professional football clubs like Rizal-based Valencia FC and the Makati Football Club use the pitch not only for games but also as practice grounds. But for folks looking to try out the sport, some groups host open-play sessions after office or in the late afternoon for yuppies and office workers in the area. 

Here are some open-play football schedules you can try at Atleta63 in Bridgetowne:

Youth training sessions

• Valentia Football Academy: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Makati Football Club:  Wednesdays, 4:15 p.m. to 6 p.m.

• Silangan Football Club: Saturdays, 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.

Adult training and open-play sessions

• East Football United: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

• Pro-fit: Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

• Peps Veterans Open Play: Tuesdays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

You might have noticed that games and clubs extend into the wee hours of the night. That's not a mistake. Atleta63 is open 24 hours a day. You can book the field at any time, even past midnight. As long as you are game to play, the pitch will be ready for you.

Other facilities in and around Atleta63

During SPOT.ph's interview with Gutierrez, it was apparent the man knows the sport and its community. And that, yes, a pitch would attract a crowd, but it would take so much more to keep them interested in coming back. The secret ingredient would be keeping the players' families hooked. 

Hence, within the Atleta63 grounds are a number of covered benches and bleachers where each player's family members and loved ones can show their support. While that's pretty much it for facilities within the grounds for now, just across the football pitch is a three-story recreation building Gutierrez and his team are working on. 

Expected to be completed by December 2024, they're developing a leisure center that will house support facilities like restrooms, shower rooms, and other pre-and post-game player needs. More importantly, this center will also house other establishments that could entice not only athletes but their families to spend more time in the area.

Gutierrez envisions an all-in-one recreation area complete with F&B concepts and Bridgetowne's own Studio300 bowling and recreation center, another company Gutierrez is a part of. 

Bridgetowne's Studio300 spot will be close to what their Chino Roces, Makati branch is like. It will house karaoke rooms, billiard tables, indoor bowling lanes, and a dining space.  

Once completed, Gutierrez' dream of a space worthy of footballers and their families will come to full fruition. And then, with fingers crossed, more Filipinos will get immersed in football, giving the sport its much-deserved prominence in the Philippine sports scene.

How to rent Atleta63 for events, tournaments, and games

Atleta63 is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To book this football pitch, simply send a message to their Facebook or Instagram account. While the pitch is open all day, their office operates from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. So make sure to book ahead of time and within their office hours. 

Here are the base rates for renting Atleta63:

• 6 a.m. to  4 p.m.: P8,000/ hour
• 4 p.m. onwards (with lights): P10,000/ hour

For more information, visit Atleta63's Facebook page.

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