Featuring: PhilBack (The Philippine Basketball Club in Kuwait)

Photo by: PhilBack.org

Is PhilBack sounds familiar to you expatriates in Kuwait? Well, personally I heard about Philback sometime in 2009.  This is the time when I am actively playing in an open court in Al Quibla near seaside, as a way of exercise and for fun.

This is the place where the club actually founded in February 2009.

When I first came in Kuwait, back in March of 2006, being a basketball enthusiast I searched for a basketball court near to the place I stayed. It happens that the nearest basketball court was Al Quibla open court.


So, for a very obvious reason, I chose to play there, compared to another much better court that can be found in Salmiya which is very far from my place.

From 2006 till 2008 my roommates and workmates played in Al Quibla. In 2006, only a few fellow Filipinos played in Al Quibla open court. Maybe because the court was not standard at all. The rim is so hard and thick without a net. You need to shoot the ball without the ball touching the rim to make a sure basket. The floor was also a bit slippery.

Now, back to PhilBack, when this club started to organized teams and eventually started the first conference with only nine participating teams. Unfortunately, I was not able to play in any of those teams due to work schedule conflict at that time.

Most of the organized teams and the members were mostly familiar to me because they were the people whom I used to play since 2006.

As a result, I was irritated when the first conference went on. You know what? I can not play basketball in Al - Quibla, during my day-off because the court was now occupied by PhilBack. Why such a public playground being used exclusively by a tournament?

I'm sure those who played before in this court and don't have any team that joined the club, can relate what I feel. Right?

But, as years pass by, PhilBack continue to encourage basketball enthusiast to form their own teams and joined the club. Now on its seventh conference, finally I am in a team that joined PhilBack in the Inter-Company Division.

A casual basketball enthusiast can easily form a team and can join PhilBack at a very affordable cost. Moreover, a lot of division available to suit your teams status and capabilities.

This prompted my colleague to organized a team (United COE) and joined PhilBack in its 7th conference in the Inter-Company Division.

From a humble beginning of nine participating teams in its founding year now, in the seventh conference, PhilBack now consisting of 59 teams in four different Divisions. The divisions are as follows;

1. Open Division - 12 Teams
2. Inter Medical Division - 6 Teams
3. Inter Company Division - 9 teams
4. 5'8" Division - 32 teams

After three years PhilBack continue to live upon the club's mission: "MAGBIGAY NG KASIYAHAN,PAGKAKAIBIGAN,WALANG KINIKILINGAN AT TAPAT SA PAG OORGANISA NG LIGA SA KUWAIT"

For the betterment of playing experience and protection to the extreme weather condition in Kuwait, the club had moved from Al - Quibla open court to its new haven at The Riggae Arabic School, Roundabout Near Ramada Hotel.


For more information and inquiries about the club you may click the following links;

PhilBack official website "About Us Page"
PhilBack official website "Home Page"
PhilBack "Facebook page"

To the founding, and current officials of Philback, more power! and may the club continue to soar high, uplifting the spirit of sportsmanship among Filipinos in Kuwait. Cheers!!!!