Local football action is set for a return this weekend with the Philippines Football League (PFL) opening its long-delayed fourth season.
And the league is doing it with a triple-header on Sunday featuring all the competing six teams at the Philippine Football Federation National Training in Carmona, Cavite.
The season kickoff is a culmination of what organizers said has been a “tedious” journey in trying to stage a tournament amid the challenging times.
The PFL was supposed to start its new season in March, but was pushed back several times because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Things opened up for the league after it was allowed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to start training, along with the Philippine Basketball Association, after submitting health and safety protocols for a return.
It continued to work with pertinent government agencies after, paving the way for the season to start.
The tournament, now presented by Qatar Airways, will be held in a “bubble” setup for two weeks and with no fans watching.
The PFF National Training Center is the official game venue while Seda Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, houses the teams and the league for the duration of the tournament.
Participants will be shuttled to and from the hotel and the game venue.
The PFL has scheduled five match days for the new season with the team on top in the end crowned as champion.
Sunday’s schedule will have the Azkals Development Team going up against Mendiola FC 1991 at 9 a.m. to be followed by Stallion Laguna FC versus Kaya FC-Iloilo at 4:30 p.m. Capping off the opening day is the clash between Maharlika Manila FC and United City Football Club (formerly Ceres-Negros FC) at 8 p.m.
Succeeding match days are slated for Oct. 28 and 31 and Nov. 3 and 6.
The remaining pioneer teams in the league since its inception in 2017, Stallion and Kaya expressed their excitement to finally get the season going and take on the challenge.
“It’s great to be playing once again. We are looking forward to getting the competition going …” said Stallion coach Ernest Nierras
“We’re looking forward to the challenge and eager to play. We are excited for the matches and give the fans what they like,” Kaya general manager Paul Tolentino, for his part, said.
Given the long process it took to reach the season start, PFL organizers are seeking the cooperation of all participants to make the bubble a success and for their efforts not to go to waste.
“It has been a long journey for all of us. A lot of people worked hard to make this possible. Hopefully we will have a successful league,” said PFF President Mariano Araneta.
All PFL matches will be live streamed. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
