The abandoned soccer stadium now stands as a haunting monument to forgotten dreams

I still remember the first time I saw the photographs online - that hauntingly beautiful series of images showing the gradual decay of what was once a magnificent soccer stadium in Thailand. The grass had grown waist-high through cracks in the concrete, the bleachers were rusted beyond recognition, and the scoreboard stood frozen in time. It struck me then how these abandoned sports facilities become these ghostly monuments to forgotten dreams, and it made me think about how we handle athletic programs here in the Philippines.

Just last week, I was reading about University of Santo Tomas making it back to the UAAP juniors basketball finals after fifteen long years. Fifteen years! That's an entire generation of young athletes who came through their program without experiencing that championship atmosphere. While celebrating their return is wonderful, it also highlights how easily institutional memory and sporting traditions can fade when programs struggle. I've visited several abandoned sports facilities across Manila over the years, and each tells a similar story - initial excitement followed by gradual neglect when funding dries up or priorities shift. The Quezon City tennis complex comes to mind, where only three of twelve courts remain playable today.

What really bothers me about these situations isn't just the wasted infrastructure - it's the broken pipeline for young athletes. When a sports program gets cut or a facility closes, we're not just losing a building or a team. We're losing potential national team members, future coaches, and sports administrators. I've seen estimates suggesting that for every 100 young athletes who lose access to proper training facilities, we potentially lose 2-3 future national team caliber competitors. The math might not be precise, but the principle holds true.

The solution isn't just about throwing money at the problem either. From what I've observed working with local sports organizations, sustainable programs need three key elements: community involvement, diversified funding streams, and adaptive facility management. The most successful facilities I've visited here in Metro Manila are those that host multiple sports, community events, and even commercial activities during off-hours. The Makati sports complex, for instance, manages to maintain its world-class facilities by hosting corporate events, weekend markets, and fitness classes for residents. They've created what I like to call an "ecosystem" where different activities support each other financially.

UST's return to the basketball finals after such a long absence gives me hope though. It shows that with proper planning and institutional commitment, programs can be revived. What I'd love to see is more universities and local governments taking proactive approaches rather than reactive ones. Instead of waiting until facilities become those haunting monuments to forgotten dreams, we should be implementing maintenance schedules and revenue-generating strategies from day one. We've got incredible sporting passion in this country - just look at how basketball courts spring up in every barangay. The challenge is building systems that sustain that passion through proper infrastructure and long-term planning. Because honestly, the sight of another decaying sports facility is something I'd rather not add to my collection of photographs.