Just in time for the kickoff of the Copa Paulino Alcantara (Philippines Football League), Allianz PNB Life and the United City Football Club (UCFC) inked another year of their partnership last Monday, 14 March 2022.
“Allianz is very proud to be working with UCFC again, one of the best Filipino football teams in the country. Globally, we remain dedicated to celebrating the exciting sport of football, and we believe that this partnership will help us in reaching more Filipinos and encouraging a deeper, more fervent interest in this sport,” according to Alexander Grenz, President and CEO of Allianz PNB Life.
Allianz PNB Life has been a long-time supporter of football and futsal. Together with UCFC, the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Moran Foundation, Allianz recently launched a nationwide online challenge for young Filipino amateur football and futsal players called “Kickoff!: The Allianz PNB Life Virtual Football and Futsal Mastery Challenge,” where they can showcase their ball mastery skills via social media. Allianz also won a silver award for its National Youth Futsal Invitational (ANYFI) at the Sports Industry Awards Asia in 2019 and supported the 10th ASEAN Para Games bid of the Philippines’ first cerebral palsy football team, the CP Rascals.
“We have always believed and proudly supported Filipino athletes, and we will continue to do so in both the local and global stages. This partnership with UCFC is further proof of our commitment to empower and enable Filipino athletes in their goal to achieve greater heights and bring pride to the Philippines,” added Grenz.
UCFC, established in 2021, is the first Filipino club to enter the group stages of the AFC Champions League in 2021, winning against the Chinese Super League powerhouse Beijing FC with a score of 3 – 2.
“We are very grateful to Allianz for their continued support. In spite of the difficulties we have faced because of the pandemic, interest for the sport here in the Philippines only keeps growing, and we believe partnering with Allianz will amplify the awareness and enthusiasm for football,” said Eric Gottschalk, President and co-founder of UCFC.