What started out as a tournament to bring friends and old teammates together has now grown into one of the biggest football competitions in the country.
The Philamlife 7s Football League founded by former national team star Anton del Rosario rolls out its fifth season on Sunday at Mckinley Hill Stadium in Taguig with 34 teams in the men and women’s competitions and 48 more youth teams spread across five age groups.
Speaking at the league’s launch at Belle and Dragon in Makati, Del Rosario announced that similar tournaments are also kicking off in Muntinlupa, Clark, Bacolod and Davao on Sunday, while the Iloilo leg is slated to start on Feb. 15.
“I think the biggest accomplishments of the league is really spreading the word of football to many communities,” Del Rosario said.
“The 7s League provides players a platform to nurture their footballing dreams. There’s an abundance of football players in the country and it’s just a matter of providing opportunities to these players.”
Del Rosario noted the emergence of several players from the 7s League like Tondo FC’s Roberto Corsame Jr. who signed with AFC Cup-bound Philippines Football League club Kaya-Iloilo. Azkals captain and Ceres-Negros star Stephan Schrock also briefly saw action for Monte Sports in the 7s League last year.
The fifth season of the 7s League will have 13 teams in the first division, 11 in the second division and 10 more in the women’s division.
“I was just looking at trying to create a league for a bunch of us ex-football teammates to play, but it opened up the doors for so many avenues to grow the game,” Del Rosario said.
“I saw a huge gap in the football market in the Philippines and it has been my personal advocacy to bring this and make the sport inclusive so more people will appreciate it.”