Where opportunity knocks, they answer.
This is the shared mantra of Kaya-Iloilo’s Julissa Cisneros, Stallion Laguna’s Sierra Castles, Capital1’s Arianna Del Moral, and Makati’s Shalika Viandrisa — foreign players who have found a new home in the Philippines, at least professionally.
The influx of international talent in the Philippine Football Federation Women’s League has grown rapidly, beginning notably in the 2023 season when the now-defunct Manila Digger FC strategically recruited foreign players to strengthen its lineup.
Now, in the 2025 season, every club in the league features at least one or two foreign internationals on its roster.
“My agent had connections here, so that’s how I heard about the Philippines,” shared Del Moral, a midfielder from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now suiting up for Capital1. She made the move after a short stint playing in Malta.
While agents played a key role in recruiting many players, Kaya’s Julissa Cisneros arrived in the country thanks to the encouragement of a friend on the Philippine national team.
“Maya Alcantara was a [childhood] teammate of mine. One day, she just randomly texted me while I was between teams and told me to come to the Philippines. I said, ‘Yeah, I’m down,’” the Mexican-American striker recalled.
Others, like Makati’s Shalika Viandrisa, made the move driven by their desire for growth and deep respect for the Filipinas.
“I played against the Philippines before at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India. I know the quality of the players — World Cup players — and they’re just really, really good. So I knew that if I went here, I was going to get a lot of new experiences. So when I got the opportunity, I just jumped right at it, you know,” said the Indonesian center back.
Viandrisa isn’t the only Indonesian making waves at Makati. She’s joined by three compatriots — Gea Yumanda, Sheva Furyzcha, and Nori Nafeeza — who have also found in the Philippines what was missing back home: opportunity.
“We have so many players, we can easily make more than ten teams [back home], but we still don’t have a league. So I’m very grateful to the Philippines’ federation for being able to take in some foreigners. Because people like [us] who don’t really have anything, we can play here and learn from these amazing players,” Viandrisa explained.
After a brief spell in Singapore, Stallion Laguna’s Sierra Castles is also enjoying her time in the Philippines.
“It’s just a cool experience to be out of the [United States] and to be able to experience a different culture. So I think that’s kind of what pulled me here to the Philippines, too,” said the Japanese-American striker.
Despite coming from diverse backgrounds and having competed in various leagues worldwide, these players are finding real value in what the 2025 PFF Women’s League has to offer.
“So far, it’s been really good. I feel like it’s been very competitive. It’s interesting to see the style of play — it’s different, a lot of stamina,” said Del Moral.
“It’s a little different just because it’s [young], so it’s not as established. But I think so far everything has been according to schedule, so that’s really good. I’m excited to see where we end up in the second round,” added Castles.
A league that not only boasts World Cup talent but also welcomes promising foreign players could be the key to strengthening the foundation of domestic women’s football in the Philippines — and raising the local standard of play.
“Games are a little bit more exciting [now], so it’s really cool to see it kind of devel,op and other foreign players coming as well. As long as you have dedicated coaches, you have dedicated people in the federation, I think it can always grow,” Cisneros concluded.
