Can Pinoy football take the next step with the Philippine Football League?

It's finally happening.

After months of speculation and years of anticipation, the inaugural Philippines Football League is upon us.

When Kaya FC and Ceres square off in the University of Makati on May 6, 2017, it will mark the start of a true national football league in the Philippines.

As with our counterparts all over the world, each team will represent a different city and will have a home stadium to play in. This will be a decided change from the days of the United Football League, where games were very largely held in one venue.

The PFL, with its home and away format, is well and truly the next step in the evolution and development of Philippine football. For a league to be truly national, it must include teams from all over the country, not just in Metro Manila.

And if one considers that majority of the support for the beautiful game comes from outside Metro Manila, the launching of the nationwide Philippines Football League is a no-brainer and whose time is long overdue.

Doomsayers and naysayers will point out the case of the ill-fated Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), launched almost twenty years ago, as an example of how the PFL could conceivably not work.

Like the PFL, the MBA first featured a home and away format for each team, who then represented a city. This also marked a momentous change from the traditional Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), who like the UFL, played mostly in Metro Manila.

PFF President Nonong Araneta bristles at the comparison. “The MBA didn’t have the best players in their league. The PFL has that,” he says.

With the best teams and players from the UFL all making the move to the PFL, that is indeed the case. UFL league and cup champions Global Cebu FC and perennial challengers Ceres Negros will be favorites to be the first ever PFL champions.

Kaya Makati FC, FC Meralco Manila and Stallion Laguna will be dark horses.

An unpredictable JPV will look to spring a few surprises, while new boys Ilocos United and Davao Aguilas will look to contend and not just make up the numbers.

What is doubly important for all teams involved is the need for them to engage local community and their respective local government units. That could essentially mean the difference between a venue with a few hundred friends and family watching, or a stadium packed to the rafters with raucous and rabid support.

With 15,000 screaming fans egging on Ceres Negros, Panaad Park and Stadium is a fortress for the Busmen. Having seen and experienced the support firsthand in this year’s AFC Cup matches firsthand, it is hoped that this kind of support is replicated for all home stadia for the PFL teams.

The potential is most definitely there for it to happen. Tagum City, which the Davao Eagles call home, and Vigan, which is home to Ilocos United are not the usual places where sports teams come and visit. The same can be said perhaps for Marikina (JPV Marikina) and Binan (Stallion Laguna).

With teams making those places their home, the onus is for them to develop a connection with their local communities. Ultimately, this can lead to better attendances in the games, and equally important, it will open up clubs to commercial and business connections outside of the field.

Sustainability is the number one issue for the longevity and success of the league. The expenses involved for the teams will be big, with costs for travel and accommodations now added to the players and coach’s salaries, training facilities and recovery.

With tens of millions of pesos conceivably spent per year per team, team owners will have to look at it prudently from a business standpoint as well.

Local companies with an eye towards a more national exposure can be tapped, with games being shown live. Nationally-known brands looking for international exposure via the AFC competitions will be interested.

In the meantime, everyone is looking forward to kickoff. More so for all the Philippine football players, teams and coaches that came before, like former Azkals captain and Kaya veteran Aly Borromeo.

It is perhaps fitting that Borromeo, who captained the Azkals in the 2010 Suzuki Cup campaign that changed the landscape of Philippine football forever, will be the captain one of the two teams to kickstart the Philippines Football League.

“It’s a dream come true for us, to make this happen. For the old-timers and the legends of the league, this is what we’re here for,” he says.

“And it’s only the beginning and I’m so excited to play.”

Azkals legend and current Kaya FC coach Chris Greatwich, another player instrumental in bringing Philippine football to where it is now, is hopeful for the success of the PFL.

“This league has been a long time coming. It’s been a case of having the UFL league and obviously being involved in international club competitions has really boosted the profile of club football in the Philippines,” Greatwich tells GMA Online.

“And this is now the logical next step that the game here in the PH had to take.

“Hopefully if this league can take off and the crowds come back and watch our games and the standard of football is to the level that will keep the fans coming, then hopefully this would be a real watershed moment for football in the Philippines.” —JST, GMA News