Philippine Football Federation and Ekkono Method Announce Strategic Partnership to Develop Filipino Football
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and Ekkono Method are proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership aimed at transforming the landscape of football and futsal development in the Philippines.
This collaboration brings together the PFF’s commitment to advancing Filipino football with Ekkono’s proven expertise in football methodology and coaching education, developed over more than 20 years of global experience.
A Shared Vision for Philippine Football
The partnership will focus on creating a comprehensive development framework tailored specifically to Philippine football culture while incorporating world-class standards and best practices. This initiative aims to strengthen every level of the game—from grassroots participation to elite performance—and build sustainable pathways for players, coaches, and the broader football community.
“This partnership represents a significant step forward for Philippine football,” said PFF President Mr. Gutierrez. “By working with Ekkono Method, we’re bringing internationally recognized expertise to support our vision of developing a uniquely Filipino approach to the game. This collaboration will benefit our players, coaches, and the entire football family across the nation”.
World-Class Methodology Meets Local Expertise
Ekkono Method brings a track record of successful partnerships with leading football organizations worldwide, including Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, FIFA, AFC, Japan Football Association, Thailand Football Association among other national federations across Asia, Europe, and beyond.
“We’re honored to partner with the Philippine Football Federation,” said Ekkono CEO Mr. Farrerons. “The Philippines has tremendous football potential, and we’re committed to supporting the PFF in building a development model that honors Filipino football culture while achieving international standards”.
Just a few weeks ago, we completed the final phase in Thailand of the Toyota Junior Football Clinic project, carried out in collaboration with Toyota and the Football Association of Thailand.
After more than two months travelling across seven different provinces and observing around 4,200 U14 players from all over the country, we held three days of intensive training sessions and friendly matches in Bangkok with the 46 finalists players.
After testing them in different contexts and conducting an exhaustive analysis, we proceeded to select the final 23 U14 players, thus bringing the scouting phase in Thailand to a close.
This selected group of players will travel to Spain for two weeks at the end of November to represent Toyota and Thailand in two of the best international tournaments in the world, facing top clubs such as FC Barcelona, AFC Ajax, Manchester City, and Atlético Madrid, among others.
Over the past five years, Ekkono has been developing the methodology department at Nara Club. This effort has involved the dedication of several coaches traveling to Japan—primarily Darío and Bernat—as well as support and guidance from Ekkono’s headquarters in Barcelona.
Numerous Ekkono processes have been implemented during this time to strengthen the Club’s identity. Some notable examples include:
- Talkmade Dynamics: Key documents have been created, such as the club’s game model, content planning, training methodology, and weekly Tuesday training sessions.
- Smartfielder Support: Hands-on assistance on the field, supporting all coaches and staff to implement the strategies and best practices developed in Talkmade. This includes private mentoring and individual development sessions.
- Co-learning Innovation: Cross-training processes between coaches (trainings, evaluation, mentoring), as well as interactions between players from different teams, have been executed to promote shared learning.
- Committees: A structured plan of values and habits has been established, including the launch of the “Big Brother” program to strengthen camaraderie among all players in the club.
With all these processes in place, sometimes the results speak for themselves, and this is exactly what happened this week. The Nara Club U17 team has qualified to compete among the top eight teams in Japan, a historic achievement. This milestone reflects the hard work and dedication of the entire club over the years and now culminates in this incredible result.
Importantly, the processes implemented and the quality of work would have remained the same even if the team had not qualified. That is precisely why Ekkono works to create long-lasting impact, focusing on sustainable development and growth beyond any single outcome.
Between September 4th and 7th, Ekkono officially kicked off the second season of the “EPA Future Stars” program in collaboration with the I League, with an on-site coaching education course in Bogor attended by the 18 Academy Directors and U16 Head Coaches from all First Division clubs.
The main novelty of this season is the inclusion of Academy Directors, who will follow a personalized education plan designed by Ekkono. As part of this plan, they will also spend two weeks in Spain, immersing themselves in professional LaLiga clubs and experiencing first-hand the daily work of Academy Directors.
To launch the program, an Academy Director Workshop was held, combining both theoretical and practical components. The theoretical sessions focused on key aspects of academy leadership, such as the role of the Academy Director during training sessions, how to design strategies and set objectives, the use of evaluation indicators, and the review of technical documents related to game model, talent management, content planning, and methodology.
The practical sessions included observing a training session to analyze coaching behavior and task design, as well as an Ekkono-led training session where Ekkono coaches explained the concepts addressed in each exercise and how the session was structured.
Following the on-site education in Bogor, three Ekkono coaches will spend 22 days visiting the 18 First Division clubs, in order to observe their working methods, deliver individual reports, and coach the best U16 players from each team.
With this second season, Ekkono and the I League continue to strengthen their collaboration and reaffirm their commitment to developing young talent and enhancing academy structures.
The Korea Professional Football League (K League), led by President Kwon Oh-gap, organised the ‘K League Technical Director Seminar’ at the ON City Hotel in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on 1–2 September. The seminar was organised to facilitate the comprehensive implementation of the Technical Director System, which is due to take effect in 2026, and to enhance the practical competencies of league and club officials. Around 70 executives and staff members from the league and affiliated clubs attended, highlighting the importance of the initiative.
The seminar was led by Spanish coach Julián Marín Bazalo, an Ekkono Licensed Coach, who trained participants in the key aspects of the Ekkono Method — a methodology employed by leading European clubs as well as national federations worldwide. His instruction addressed critical areas relevant to the role of Technical Director, including the formulation of club strategy, the design of game models, training methodologies, player scouting protocols, and the cultivation of club culture. Beyond being an outstanding Head Coach, Julián Marín is a UEFA Pro License holder with extensive expertise in the Ekkono Method and has contributed to the design and implementation of medium- to long-term football development programmes in Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and Japan.
In light of the seminar findings, the league will produce a ‘Technical Director Handbook’. This publication aims to stabilise and institutionalise the Technical Director System, and to foster a sustainable operational model for each club. It is anticipated that the handbook will yield long-term benefits for the collective advancement and professionalisation of the K League.