The exciting two-day, four-nation basketball event will be staged on April 18 and 19 at the Al Gharafa Indoor Sports Arena and will feature All-Filipino basketball team selections from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar composed of OFW-marquee cagers who have found a hard court in the Middle East.

Re-staging of the GCC All-Filipino Club Championship

For three years in a row we have received invitation from other GCC countries like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to host the event and we wanted to have the tournament held here in Qatar last year but it ran in conflict with the schedule of the Ambassador Cup.

We were encouraged by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the governing body of Filipino basketball federations to host the event and it was during the SBP Licensee Accreditation of Coaches & Referees Seminar conducted in April 8 and 9, 2012 when I put forward the idea after convincing the other GCC federations namely Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Bahrain to affiliate with SBP and have four nations including Qatar as members of SBP Overseas.

Previous GCC All-Filipino basketball league

I broached on the idea in December 2012, did research on the history of the GCC All-Filipino event and gathered that such an event was then called ‘Philippine Friendship Games (PFG)’.

The league was last held in and hosted by Dubai in May 1999, which coincidentally was also won by host country.

The upcoming GCC All-Filipino Championship will be the first of its kind after 14 years.

PIBAQ as host

This marks the first time that PIBAQ will be hosting such an event since it was founded in 2005 and this obviously is a big challenge to the organization especially so that basketball-loving Filipinos in the Middle East have long anticipated the re-staging of the event since the last one was held in 1999.

We have decided to host the GCC All-Filipino Championship, in its initial re-staging, with Qatar and other SBP Affiliated federations, Dubai, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi as participating countries.

Official launch

I personally got in touch with the Philippine Federation through Deputy Executive Director Bernardo Atienza and former PBA Commissioner Renauld "Sonny" Barrios and I was given the permission and the task to organize the staging of the event.

Consequently, we forged an agreement with the federations in Abu Dhabi, Dubai & Bahrain, and had the official launching held in Dubai in February of the GCC All-Filipino Club Championship, which will be a akin to a FIBA-sanctioned competition as FIBA Rules will apply.

Competition Schedule

18 April, Thursday, Al Gharafa Sports Club

10:00                  Dubai vs. Bahrain

12:00                  Qatar vs. Abu Dhabi

19:00                  Bahrain vs. Abu Dhabi

21:00                  Dubai vs. Qatar

19 April, Friday, Al GharafaTraining Gym

10:00                  Abu Dhabi vs. Dubai

19 April, Friday, Al Gharafa Sports Club

10:00                  Bahrain vs. Qatar

19 April, Friday, Al Gharafa Sports Club  &  Training Gym

16:00                  GCC All Filipino Club Battle for 3rd (Al Gharafa Training Gym)

18:00                  HH the Emir Cup Championship (Al Gharafa Sports Club)

20:30                  GCC All Filipino Club Finals (Al Gharafa Sports Club)