When Pinoy football fans watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 games on One Sports channel, they are going to witness not only the world’s best women’s football teams—which includes our very own Filipinas—in action, but also see a two-minute video featuring young Filipino girls talking like sportscasters as they mimic the moves and say the names of the PWNT lineup. The video is made more heart-pinching as these girls create their homemade kits by writing the names of the Filipinas on the backs of their white shirts. It concludes with the girls in a circle, dissolving to a clip of the Filipinas’ historic 2022 AFF Women’s Championship win, before a reveal of the complete PWNT WWC 2023 lineup.

As soon as the video debuted on social media on July 9, 2023, it was received warmly by netizens. The comment of Studio 40 Love, an illilustrator, is typical of the enthusiastic response. “Wow, what a way to announce your presence to the world! Player intro na tagos sa puso. You guys drove the significance of our first ever world cup appearance home. It’s all for the next generation. Because this is just the beginning. The Philippines is here for the long game.”

Fullcourtfresh.com’s source tells us that the young footballers in the video are players of Tondo FC and Gawad Kalinga Football, and the video executed by Jan B Dayrit is actually a brainchild of Philippine Women’s National Football Team manager Mr. Jefferson Cheng. “Kay Sir Jeff nanggaling ang concept and idea,” said our source.

On the PWNT Facebook page alone, it has so far received 6,000 likes, 325 comments and 2,300 shares.

Netizen Jo Sirius commented, “I wish they would play this during commercial breaks on our local channels.”

At that time there was no word yet on the broadcast of the Filipinas’ WWC 2023 matches on local TV. But as the broadcast rights were secured by Cignal TV at the last minute, Jo’s wish–and more–has now come true.

In a statement, Mr. Cheng said “We are grateful to Cignal for making sure that Filipinos eager to support the PWNFT at the Women’s World Cup now have one less thing to fret about. Cignal surely made a lot of people happy… Maraming salamat.”