After a glittering opening salvo Friday night, the hard part now begins for the country’s first professional football league.
“I’m so happy that our dream has turned into reality,” said Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta during the launch of the Philippine Football league Friday night. “It was difficult because there were so many questions that were hanging before from sponsorships, the business model of the league, which cities to play to and what communities will support us.”
The league took close to four years of planning and organization with a PFF Task Force getting help from the Asian Football Confederation and the International Football Federation in putting up the PFL.
But the air of optimism was unmistakable during the launch at Shangri-La Fort in Taguig City with eight pioneering clubs vying in the inaugural season that kicks off with matches in two different venues on May 6.
Powerhouse clubs Kaya-Makati and Ceres-Negros clash in the first match of the PFL at 4 p.m. at University of Makati Stadium, before Stallion Laguna hosts Meralco Manila at Biñan Stadium.
But sustaining the league will be easier said than done.
“The challenge is really logistics right now because it’s home and away,” said Araneta. “It’s now up to the club to really create that fan base for their teams so there will be gate receipts that will support them and local sponsors that will support them. That’s the challenge for the clubs and the league as well.”