Not entirely sure if its the first of its kind but Kings of the Court (KOTC) organizes amateur…read morebasketball leagues which can give you the feeling of a professional player while playing the sport you love with your friends. The group started organizing basketball leagues since January 2014 and has been on the rise ever since. KOTC, which specializes in posting photos, videos and stats on Facebook, gives the players the feeling of being in a well-organized basketball league, which makes your quota payment worth it! After playing over the weekend, players will have something to look forward to thru the photos and of course the game recaps via the video highlights. Aside from posting photos and videos, they also give incentives to the best players and fans by providing prizes thru the form of GCs and special items from sponsors and marketing partners. Truly an additional motivation for players to perform better especially if Php 500 worth of GCs from Bugsy's will be awarded to you. Yes to free food after the game, right? A bunch of the other girlfriends of my boyfriend's kabarkada have actually won. I don't attend all the games so that's probably one of the reasons I didn't win. Haha. Games are usually held in Dumlao, Asia Pacific College, Makati Coliseum and Finman Gym. Also, they focus on the fundamentals of barkada as they provide victory party c/o partner venues to the champion team. The champion team gets treated to food and drinks together with his teammates and friends which definitely makes playing in this league worth it. One of the best, if not the best, amateur basketball leagues my boyfriend has ever played in.

One basketball league that my boyfriend and his friends tried joining is GamePlan MNL, an amateur…read morebasketball league that happens in YMCA, Makati. The league started a few months after Kings of the Court (KOTC, a big amateur basketball league in the Metro) was born so you can say that GamePlan MNL's blueprint was inspired a little by KOTC. T They tried providing special services the way KOTC did but it was just not at par. Apparently, the stats are 1 week delayed, photos are not as crisp as with KOTC and video highlights are not as good as well, plus their graphic effects weren't very good too. (Sorry, production gal here!) They do have a victory party for the winning team as part of your incentive for winning the tournament. My boyfriend and I cannot help but compare GamePlan and KOTC mainly because they charge the same quota fee for the interested teams. Unfortunately, the services they provide cannot keep up with what KOTC has provided but I guess in time, they'll be able to deliver a quality league.

Me and my friends were looking for something to do that is a little unusual and Google introduced…read moreme to Power Smash's Facebook page. The gym itself was a little hard to find but once we were there, we had an amazing time. We actually showed up with no reservation so we were lucky it was a Monday because that's the day of the week you can just join other people and play a doubles game. Unfortunately, we lost the game but at least we had the excuse of not having played in years! The staff was very nice and they sell some drinks and crisps as well as a little treat after the game! Looking forward to going again! Anyone?

Huge 12 badminton court complex. Floor renovated mid 2016. Not a perfect reno but it will do. When…read moreit rains hard for 30 mins, there are drips from the ceiling. Locker rooms are small and smells. You'll have a slim chance of playing between 6pm to 8pm. It's full and difficult to get reservation. Good luck on that. But the good news is, no one is playing anytime of the day except the above mentioned time. Now get your ass up and play!

Ever since I was a kid, I was really into sports; I was part of the track and field team, a table…read moretennis player, a chess champion and a volleyball varsity player during high school and college.The energy and strength that I get from sports is fulfilling and makes my life a little interesting.Now that I have kids and busy at work, I can't seem to find time to play volleyball or sit on a game of chess,but now that Playground opened near our residence, my friends were able to persuade me to try a new sport, badminton I was impressed of the huge building with a provision for eight badminton courts coated with a top of the line non slip vinyl, cool atmosphere and it was well ventilated. The fee for an hour was just right if your splitting it with friends. They also have badminton sports wear, shuttlecocks and even rackets that you can purchase there, you can also get water for free and take a bath after the game. If you really want to know how to play badminton,their affiliated school WWGNA Badminton Camp and Clinic offers affordable summerclasses for beginners, intermediate and elite level training.

I've been to many badminton courts in the Metro, but The Zone remains to be my favorite. For one,…read moreit is conveniently located if one lives and works within Makati CBD. After work, I just walk to the court. I don't need to bring my car, even if there are ample street parking slots in front of the building. The Zone has a total of fifteen standard badminton courts. Six of which have wood flooring, while nine are equipped with Taraflex material. There's also a basketball court complete with digital scoring system. The shower and comfort rooms are air-conditioned and personal lockers are also available. A food stall in the receiving area makes sure that players don't have to worry about drinks and food. If you forget to bring accessories, there's even a small store that offers sports socks, apparel, and other badminton stuff. Recently, The Zone improved its security by placing surveillance cameras in strategic places inside and outside the building. With this, fees and court rentals have slightly increased. At present, the entrance fee is PHP 75.00 per person. During peak hours, weekends, and holidays, you can rent a Taraflex court for PHP 300.00 per hour, while a wood court can be used for PHP 250.00 an hour. A play-all-you-can promo is available during weekdays from 6:00am to 5:00pm for just PHP 150.00 per person. The basketball court rate is PHP 1,500.00 per hour during off-peak time and PHP 2,000.00 for peak hours.

The Zone Badminton Court has one of the best locker rooms among all the badminton courts that I've…read morebeen to within its price range. Nicely laid badminton court mat. However, some courts are damaged and they just patched the damages instead of replacing them. White stuff coming from the ceiling also fall down which I assume are bird feathers. They did not even bother to fix the damaged lights. Most of the staff are either lazy or rude. I have only come across two staff members who are nice so far (mostly women). Half of the time that we go there, they do not automatically turn on the exhaust on each court. We either have to turn it on ourselves or go back to the counter to ask them to turn it on, which, of course, consumes the time that we paid. Rudest of all is the guy receptionist who I think is on his late 20s or 30s. He once switched the light off of our court when we just started playing. When approached, not even one apology was heard from that guy or from any of the staff present. This guy also tends to answer sarcastically. They also have a very inconsistent rescheduling policy. Or so said this guy. We have asked to reschedule more than once before this incident because of an unexpected conflict on our schedule. We thought that that would be better instead of cancelling. All of the receptionists that we talked to have always been happy to accommodate this. However, on one eventful day, same receptionist guy said that they don't allow rescheduling even if it is on the same time period that we have scheduled and that it should be done at least 2 days before our supposed schedule. That is the first time that we have heard of that policy although guy insists that that is always how things go. Weird how that is not how it always was for us and only happened when he was the one we're talking to. When asked about this rescheduling fiasco and the unwarranted-turning-off-of-the-court-lights-incident, this receptionist guy even taunted that we should go there so we can discuss it in person. AGAIN, NO APOLOGY WAS HEARD. They suck at complaint resolution. Lastly, expect that when your schedule is near their closing time, they will turn off your court light without any warning 1-2 minutes before the supposed end of your playing time.

Growing up in the South, it's imperative that you visit this sports club. It's where you watch…read morefootball games that go awry with drunk players, naked rugby matches, Indian cricket and a bunch of shameless topless white men at the pool in Speedos. It's great though! Their food has improved although I still wouldn't eat here on a regular basis. I love the pub and the fact that I can grab an affordable cold beer and drink it by the pool while watching my toddler swim. A children's playground that your kid could play hours in and a bunch of courts for tennis, badminton and the most competitive solo game ever (with a wall), squash are just a few additions to its main attraction: a real football field. Yes! With real grass and no hidden potholes! I love going here with my kid. Tip: They're going to close in 5 years so become a member now or visit it with a member! Also, you need to bring enough cash cause the food is a bit pricey and will need you to pay through their coupon system.

I love watching sports; the energy in the air among the players and the crowd during these events…read moreis just beautiful. I love how sports bring people together, how strangers become friends when faced against a mutual opponent, or how you get to meet random people because you like the same thing - this is what I feel every time I pay a visit to Nomads. It's beautiful; the main focus of the club is their well-kept green football fieid where many sports events have been held. Facing the field is a complete bar set-up where you can hang out and watch some sports on a flat screen, or live on the field. Their food is also really good, I've tried a bunch of their dishes, and a lot of them have had the pleasure of following me to my dreams at night. (Aside from the field, they also have other sports facilities like the gym, a lap pool, badminton court, tennis courts, squash court, and others I haven't yet explored.)

There was a time in my life when I was super into badminton. I didn't have any sport (as I've said…read morein a previous review) and badminton was the closest thing I could do without hurting myself. Hahaha. I liked bowling but it was such an expensive sport and to be honest, hindi naman talaga ako papayat kababato ng bowling ball. So I urged myself to try playing badminton instead and to my surprise, I didn't hate it. Woohoo! Finding badminton courts in the Metro though was a bit of a challenge for me. I Googled courts that were near my place or where I worked but I just couldn't find one, until I discovered Aerodrome Badminton Center in Taytay, Rizal. The court is pretty big and has about 10 or 12 playing fields, I couldn't remember exactly. There are three special courts - one that has special green flooring while the larger part of the center has cement flooring. To be honest, I didn't feel any difference when it came to the floor. But then again I'm just an amateur anyway, so what do I know?! The place, to my surprise, fills up really fast especially when you go from 4pm onwards. Understandable since it's too hot to play in the early afternoon, even if it is covered. Their bathrooms aren't very nice though I see a number of people taking showers there. Medyo maarte ako when it comes to bathrooms and shower rooms so I just change my shirt and take a bath nalang at home. An hour of playing depends on what time you go. But to be safe, 150 per head should cover you for two hours of playing.

We all know that basketball is part of our culture as Filipinos. Boys or girls, young or just young…read moreat heart, NBA or PBA or UAAP or just your neighbourhood basketball liga, Pinoys are just into this sport. I guess this explains why in most parts of the Metro, it's impossible for you not to see basketball courts - whether it's an indoor hardwood court, open cement court or even a makeshift half court on the streets. Some basketball courts have been put up for quite some time and recently, there have been a good number of new basketball courts that are popping in the city. Since my boyfriend is into basketball (just like most boys are, really) and has been regularly joining different basketball leagues, I have been exposed to a few different basketball courts. One that I have frequently gotten to visit is the Dumlao Gym found along Shaw Boulevard. The gym has been an institution for many generations of (pro and non-pro) basketball players living in the Mandaluyong area. The very first time I saw the façade of Dumlao, I wanted to run. It looked like a horror movie's set! Hahahaha! The gym definitely looked older than most courts I've seen based on the structure of the building. Despite this, a lot of professional and amateur basketball leagues have set this as their stage. I should know, I've watched countless of Pau's games in Dumlao, from different leagues, mind you. Dumlao Gym has 2 indoor basketball courts found on the first and second floor. Upon entering the gym, you will see trophies, newspaper cut outs and other memorabilia of the person the gym is named after - Cesar Dumlao. (Quick trivia: Cesar Dumlao used to be a basketball superstar back in the day. He was actually recorded to have had 162 points in one game. I don't know much about playing ball but I think that's pretty extraordinary!) For someone who watches games at Dumlao, one major complain that I have with it is the humidity and temperature inside the gym. It has poor ventilation and can really make you feel exhausted especially between 11am - 2pm, which is usually the time they have their games. Dumlao has shower rooms available for men and women, which my boyfriend says is pretty decent. I've only ever been to the normal bathrooms. They are clean but also a bit old. They also have a small sari-sari store where you can buy drinks and munchies while watching the games. Dumlao Gym is open 24/7 so all you hard core basketball fanatics can go here to play. Price of court rental at Dumlao is 900/hour. The courts can also be used for volleyball games and badminton competitions!

Dumlao Gym is one of the most commonly used basketball courts in Manila because of its central…read morelocation. Barring bad traffic, all it takes is a short drive to get here. Having said that, I'm not exactly a fan of playing at Dumlao. First off, parking is extremely limited. There are two basketball courts so you can only imagine how crazy it is when all the players bring cars. If you arrive and there are no slots available, you're out of luck and you will have to look somewhere else. The façade of the building looks decrepit as well. It's an old building and you immediately see it both inside and out. What Dumlao has going on for them is that they're open 24 hours, 7 days a week. This is good especially for call center employees who are night owls and might not have another place to play at.

Since I learned how to play badminton, I say yes to every play that I can attend and I just bring…read morethe kids and my helper with me so they can run around unoccuoied courts and get their exercie too. My colleagues invited me to stretch some muscle at Las Piñas Badminton Center which is one tricycle ride from my house. The place was ok, they have 6 courts with good non slip vinyl flooring and there are several shower rooms to use after he game. You can take advantage of their promotion of unlimited play from 10am to 3pm for an affordable price. The place is cool in the morning, but since the insulation is not intact and some are already torn off from the roof, at around 12pm I can already feel the heat even there were industrial fans situated per court. The staffs were nice and they also teach badminton basics for a minimal fee and you can get more discounts if you train per group. Food, drinks and shuttlecock as are available for sale and water is free. They also have 2 showers and changing rooms that you can use after the game.