MANILA, Philippines – There was a tangible sense of easy optimism as pizza slices, glasses of Coke and good-natured trash-talking were being passed around by some of the biggest names of today’s football scene.
The atmosphere almost mirrored the way the sport had finally settled into its own comfortable spot in mainstream sports-slash-entertainment circles.
Since the Rise of the Azkals, there has been the uneasy notion that the popularity of football—the continued outpouring of financial support from private sources included—would burn brightly for as long as either the the national team continued to thrill with its performance or officials continued to cap those well-sculpted, shriek-inducing poster boys.
But with the United Football League opening Saturday to a bigger media platform, there is little of the uncertainty as to whether or not the football craze will be short-lived.
In its place is hope.
“It’s a good feeling to know that we will finally get some exposure and football gets an even bigger exposure,” said national team defender Anton del Rosario.
After a successful Cup tournament, the UFL unveils its League competition, with all Division I squads facing off against each other twice. Despite the heavy concentration of talent in the UFL’s top four teams—most of the Azkals will either see action for Air Force, Kaya, Global and Loyola Meralco—the players expect tough competition throughout the tournament.
“Every team will be a threat and you really can’t overlook anyone,” said James Younghusband of Loyola Meralco.
“Every goal, every game will count,” added Kaya defender Jason Sabio.
“There’ll be a lot of exciting games to come,” teammate Lexton Moy chimed in, with Nate Burkey adding: “We’ve seen the possibilities and growth from last year and it’ll be interesting to see what will happen this time.”
“Every team in the first division is going to be strong so I expect the league to be highly entertaining,” Burkey added.
There’ll be no more 15-1 routs, the players said, an outlook that Del Rosario agreed to before turning his head, throwing a sly look at Air Force star Ian Araneta and saying: “Well except on Saturday.”
Del Rosario’s Kaya tangles with Araneta’s Air Force Phoenix to kick off the UFL season and his remark had everybody laughing.
“There’s no pressure,” Araneta said. “We know what we can do as a team and we’ve been playing together for a long time. It’s going to be a challenge to defend the title but we’ll do our best.”
The UFL will play an integral role in the continued growth of football in the mainstream. The league has a five-year cushion in the form of a TV contract signed last year that guarantees major exposure unlike nothing it has ever had before.
“It’s something a lot of us have been hoping for for X number of years,” said Del Rosario.
It also managed to lure the biggest names of the national team into its fold.
What it lacks is the history to add to the hype.
“Obviously, there’s no real rivalry yet at this stage and that’s something that will be developed in the years to come,” explained Younghusband.
And rivalries are important for leagues. Crispa-Toyota got the PBA going in its infancy. Ateneo-La Salle continues to ring cash registers for the UAAP. In the UFL, there is little history except for the Global-Kaya rivalry that very little outside of the growing football circle know about.
For now, the league will thrive on subplots. Kaya still nurses hurt from a stinging defeat at the hands of Loyola Meralco and will have two chances to avenge that loss.
“That’s a loss that forever stays with you,” said Moy.
And so as the teams prepare for battle, the UFL readies itself for a long-term war to continue staying visible in the mainstream. After all, out of sight, out of mind. And for the sake of football, the UFL can’t afford to fall off the face of the earth.
Sabio said the league will be important “for the development of local football,” with Moy adding that the UFL “could be a feeder program for the national team.”
The sport needs the UFL badly. And with players armed with unbridled optimism ready to give it all on the pitch and understanding, too, how much their performances will determine the growth of the league, the UFL has all the tools it needs to win the war it currently wages.