Over the past year, E-Sports International, a leading sports architecture and recreational solutions company, completed several sports and recreational spaces around the country, reinforcing the company’s belief in the transformative role of fitness and sports in the community.
“As the digital and sedentary lifestyle becomes the norm, Filipinos are seeking work-life balance in a setting that makes it convenient for them to exercise or engage in outdoor activities,” stated Pam Romualdez, General Manager of E-sports International. “The projects we’ve done for our clients, many of whom are leaders in the property industry, address this need by innovating shared spaces and building facilities for sports and recreation.”
After working with some of the country’s top residential communities, E-sports International shares the top three compelling real estate development trends that may help promote wellness and increase Filipinos’ participation in sports.
Elevate estate living with training and competition venues
For property developers seeking to create social, economic, and lifestyle centers, incorporating world-class sports venues is a strategic move to successfully develop vibrant, mixed-use districts.
E-sports International supported one of the country’s largest property developers in building two FIFA-certified football fields that are now playing a major role in both grassroots and elite athlete development in football.
In Cavite, E-sports International built a tournament-ready football field as part of the state-of-the-art Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, a publicly-accessible and professionally–managed sports facility. The FIFA-certified artificial pitch was designed to serve as a premier training ground of amateur and professional football athletes and is now a preferred venue for national and international football events in the Philippines.
More importantly, the Vermosa Football Field plays a significant role in grassroots sports development as the venue for several reputable football academies for the youth. The availability of extensive options in athletic activities helps attract young families looking for a safe, nurturing, and convenient community in which to plant their roots.
Similarly, in Taguig, the FIFA-certified field of Arca South is home to the Barca Academy, the official global football school of the renowned football club, FC Barcelona. Barca Academy Philippines provides comprehensive training for boys and girls aged 6 to 16, following the same "Barça style" used by FC Barcelona coaching teams.
These two facilities not only bring the football community together and give teams a reliable venue for training and competition, but also make the well-appointed estates in which they are located an ideal place for communities to thrive.
The shift from an ‘amenities’ mindset to curated experiences
Driven by consumer demand for holistic well-being and convenience, property developers are evolving their approach to amenities into integrated, experience-driven recreational programs and spaces that foster community, health, and a balanced lifestyle. Developers are moving beyond basic offerings like a gym or pool, to providing curated recreational programs and diverse facilities that cater to specific lifestyle needs and encourage activity.
“Apart from our commitment to build world-class football pitches, track ovals and multi-sport courts, E-sports International is driven to build facilities that become the nexus of the community,” said Pam Romualdez. “We focus on innovating shared activity areas to incorporate facilities that encourage many ways to move, allowing residential developers to offer more unique and holistic recreational experiences.”
One of the best examples of an integrated community space is the Malvar Fitpark in Batangas, a first-of-its-kind project for E-sports International.
Pueblo de Oro, the developer of Townscapes Malvar, envisioned an integrated, multi-purpose shared space that can provide a venue to promote exercise and inspire an active lifestyle not only to its own residents but the surrounding community.
At the Malvar Fitpark, walking and jogging paths, playgrounds, fitness stations, and turf designed for multi-recreational use are conveniently located in one central area. It boasts a 1,400m2 jogging path and a 315m Polyplay S jogging track by Polytan, a German brand recognized for Olympic-grade sports surfaces. This track delivers 38 percent shock absorption, ensuring exceptional safety and performance for runners.
Complementing the track, the FitPark offers 18 fitness stations organized into four themed zones by Let’s Play by Shamrock Fitness Equipment, an internationally-made outdoor fitness system by Shamrock Arena. This includes a publicly-accessible obstacle course that features challenges such as challenge ladder, obstacle crawl, obstacle climber, swing rings, obstacle bridge and vertical ladder.
It also features a 400m2 landscape turf for picnics and other amusement activities and a 300m2 playground for kids, making the FitPark a unique social hub for recreation and interaction.
Transcending traditional and prescriptive play structures to foster inclusivity
Playground systems are increasingly being recognized as creative spaces that actively foster social and emotional growth and cognitive development in children. For Ayala-Alabang Village, these spaces should encourage "unstructured play," and allow children to create their own games, rules, and narratives.
To champion the free-play concept, community parks in Maria Cristina and Cuenca underwent major renovations with the help of E-sports International. The parks replaced the outdated pre-fabricated metal slides and swing sets with more a modern playset with safety rubber flooring, transforming the playgrounds into a site for imagination, role-playing and problem-solving.
Children could explore their interests, learn natural consequences, and build confidence through activities like climbing, swinging, spinning, sliding, and balancing in a safe environment, thanks to a 25-mm EPDM safety rubber surface that was installed for the protection of kids from fall height injuries.
Manufacturers create EPDM rubber from bonded rubber material that boasts elasticity and weather resistance, providing more durability and safety compared to wood or turf surfaces.
“Today, the way shared spaces are designed and built can significantly impact quality of life. With heightened emphasis on health and wellness, our customers have gone beyond building recreational facilities and, instead, focused on creating experiences and connections that foster a sense of community,” according to Pam Romualdez.
About Esports International, Incorporated:
E-Sports International is a Filipino company specializing in sports architecture (track ovals, football fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, among others) and recreational solutions (playgrounds, jogging paths, multipurpose gyms, and fitness parks). With over 20 years in the industry, it remains committed to its vision to continuously build international standard facilities throughout the country to be able give Filipino athletes suitable training venues that are in the same caliber as the world’s best training centers.
