By MARK REY MONTEJO
Capital1 continues its effort to venture into sports.
Sports aficionados and businesswomen Milka and Mandy Romero unveiled their football team, the Solar Strikers, who will compete in the upcoming PFF Women’s League.
Milka, a former Ateneo standout and member of the national team, expressed her excitement as she goes full circle from playing to managing her own football team.
“It has always been my dream to give back to the football community that helped shape me in the past 20 years of being an athlete. I want to empower women in sports because ang daming talented athletes na kailangan lang ng right opportunity para mag-excel,” said Milka during a press conference at the Out Of Office Bar in Bonifacio Global City.
“I think we can help one woman, one girl reach their dream through sports, then we’ve done our job,” she added. “For women, everyone loves the game of football.”
This would be the second sport for the Romero sisters to step in after the Capital1 Solar Spikers in Premier Volleyball League.
“This is such a welcome development to have and more personalities and more sports stakeholders help in developing the beautiful game,” said Philippine Football Federation president John Gutierrez.
Mandy was also in attendance, echoing her support for the women in sports.
“We’re here as Capital1 to push the movement of women in sport here in the country,” said Mandy. “We’re here with our full support… This is not about women empowerment but also showing that girls in sports are girls who lead, and we’re very excited to be part of this league.”
With the Solar Strikers’ participation, the PFF Women’s League is now composed of seven clubs as it kicks off later this year with the Stallion Laguna F.C. as defending champion.
The Milka and Mandy-owned club is composed of collegiate and foreign bets including locals Judie Arevalo, Yasmin Elauria, Regine Rebosura and Hazel Lustan, and Lyka Teves while their imports are Emma Young and Arianna Del Moral. Guiding the team is FEU coach Let Dimzon.
Those Filipinas made exceptional performances in their respective collegiate stints and are hoping to bring their A-game to a higher level of competition.
Young was a former Mississippi College defender and also a 2021 GS Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the United Soccer Coaches First-Team All-American.
Del Moral, for her part, is a versatile footballer who had experience in US and Maltese football tournaments. She suited up for Minnesota Aurora, the University of Minnesota, and St. Cloud State.
