PFL readies its own bubble, kicks off tourney on Oct. 25

Matches will be held at Philippine Football Federation Training Center. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Another league is set to unveil its own bubble tournament.

And apart from strict health protocols adhering to safety measures required by the government, the Philippines Football League (PFL) will also limit matches to avoid players getting injured, the league announced on Wednesday during a virtual presser to kick off its return to action.

“We decided to reduce the number of matches so we can avoid all these career-ending or long-term injuries,” PFL commissioner Coco Torre said.

Backed by Qatar Airways, the league will operate like the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) reboot. There will be two bubbles involved. Seda Hotel in Sta. Rosa, Laguna province, will serve as the “home” bubble, where teams and officials will be quartered, while the “game” bubble will be at Philippine Football Federation Training Center in Carmona, Cavite province.

There will be five match days in total, with each play date featuring three matches.

The league will run from Oct. 25 to Nov. 6 and each club will play five matches.

Strict protocols have been set for the league with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases overseeing the safety measures of the bubble.

Torre said everyone inside the bubble will undergo RT-PCR testing six days before entering the confined environment.

Another round of testing will be done upon arrival at Seda Hotel and will only be allowed outside their respective rooms once they’ve tested negative once more.

“Upon checking in, they will wait for the results and upon testing negative, they’ll be able to train,” Torre said.

Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta said they received advice from the PBA in creating the bubble.

Azkals Development Team will take on Mendiola in the league’s first match of the season at 9 a.m. with Stallion going up against Kaya at 4 p.m. slot. The last fixture will be between United City and Maharlika Manila at 8. INQ