Best foot forward

National team star Phil Younghusband saw football’s popularity explode in the country close to seven years ago only for the sport to lose traction among fans and sponsors in the past couple of years.

But with the launch of the Philippines Football League (PFL) last week, Younghusband and stakeholders of the sport are again brimming with optimism that the “Beautiful Game” will regain its status in the country’s sporting landscape.

The country’s first professional, community-based league fires off on May 6 at University of Makati Stadium and Biñan Stadium, and judging from the response to the PFL’s launch last Friday at the posh Shangri-La Fort in Taguig, kickoff can’t come sooner for the country’s top football clubs.

“The prospect of promoting football all around the Philippines, playing in different provinces, you just know it’s great for Philippine football,” says Younghusband, the country’s top international scorer, who will suit up for FC Meralco Manila. “This is what we need for Philippine football to grow. It’s exciting.”

It took the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) close to four years to finally form the PFL with the help of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the International Football Federation (Fifa). And it was no secret that doubts were raised about the viability of the league, particularly with the home-and-away, island-hopping format with teams from as far Davao down South and Ilocos up North seeing action.

Concerns over sponsorships and the cost of logistics also surfaced, but as club representatives marched from the stage during the glittering opening salvo, there was an air of confidence that, together, they can overcome the usual birth pains and grow the league.

“This is historic for Philippine football, regardless of what happens in the future, because we have eight clubs that banded together and are working with the PFF. They’re all putting their money where their mouth is,” says Stallion Laguna coach Ernie Nierras. “Whoever wins this at the end of the day is only icing on the cake.”

The PFL has opened doors for new clubs like Ilocos United FC and Davao Aguilas to represent their respective communities. Kaya FC will represent Makati, while JPV has Marikina as its home. Regional rivalries have also been forged with powerhouse Global representing Cebu, making Ceres Negros an instant rival.

Ilocos, for one, is looking forward to playing at Quirino Stadium in Bantay, Ilocos Sur, for its opening match against Davao on May 7. “We know the league is a bit ambitious, but nothing that was ever successful had it easy,” says Ilocos’ co-owner Tony Lazaro, a Sydney-based British businessman.

Lazaro points out that traveling from Vigan, where the club will be based, to Davao for matches could take 14 hours, including a stopover in Manila. “It’s probably one of the longest travel time in domestic football all over the world,” he laughs.

The tough task of making the PFL sustainable will be the responsibility of the clubs and the league. A Singapore-based marketing company—Red Card Global, headed by former Singapore national player R. Sassikumar—is helping the PFL in acquiring sponsors, while government-run Peoples Television is the league’s official broadcaster.

“It was difficult because there were so many questions that were hanging before,” says PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta. “Say, sponsorships—what’s the business model of the league, which cities to play for, what communities will support us. We have to get a foreign company as our marketing agency so that the interest will not be confined in the Philippines.”

The PFL will also serve as the basis for nomination for the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup, where Ceres-Negros and Global-Cebu are currently seeing action. Both PFL clubs are on top of their respective groups and poised to reach the knockout round.

“Global and Ceres are setting the standard for the league because they are also doing well in the AFC Cup,” says Nierras.

Araneta is relishing the challenge of making the league successful. “The challenge really is logistics because it’s home-and-away—you have to spend for the movement of the players and match officials—but that has been taken into consideration already,” he says.

“It’s well covered,” Araneta adds. “It’s now up to the club to really create a fan base for their team so there will be gate receipts that will support them and local sponsors that will support them. We’ll be helping each other, so we have to make this league viable and successful and stable.”