The dream of having a true national league for the beautiful game will come to fruition in a few days.
The Philippine Football League will kick off its inaugural season with eight club teams vying for the crown starting on Saturday, May 6. And the north and the south will be well-represented by the league.
FC Meralco Manila, JP Voltes Marikina FC, Stallion Laguna FC, Kaya FC-Makati, and neophytes Ilocos United FC will represent the north while Global-Cebu FC, Ceres-Negros FC, and Davao Aguilas FC will be the teams representing Visayas and Mindanao. All the teams have completed their franchise agreements two weeks ago.
During the league’s launch Friday evening at the Shangri-La Fort in Taguig City, Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta shared his appreciation to everyone involved for making this project that started four years ago a reality.
“We are bringing the passion and the love for the beautiful game to different parts of the country with the PFL,” he said.
“This is a dream come true for all of us involved in this project. We appreciate the time, effort and resources put in by the clubs to make the PFL possible. We’ve taken the next step for Philippine football.”
Due to the growing interest in football, a national league became a must. And with the help of the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA, the planning and the execution for this endeavor became easier.
“This is truly an unprecedented endeavor,” added PFF general-secretary Gastanes.
“We are looking forward to a vibrant and exciting first season ahead for the PFL.”
The league will serve as the main qualifier for the the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup.
But the work is not yet done for the PFF.
“We pray all stakeholders — club owners, players, coaches, match officials, fans and sports media will all help to grow and nurture the league,” Gastanes expressed.
The inaugural season of the tournament will be aired on the People’s Television Network.
