Philippines Football League

Origins

Following the success of the Philippines national team in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, Philippine football experienced a renaissance. With no existing national football league, the Metro Manila-based United Football League (UFL) became the de facto top-tier league in the Philippines. Under the guidance of the Football Alliance (FA) in partnership with United Football Clubs Association (UFCA), the UFL flourished. However, the PFF expressed the need to have a nationwide, community-based football league that is at par with the standards set by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The UFL, which is under the National Capital Region Football Association, cannot be considered as a national league.

Foundations

With the goal of establishing a truly nationwide professional football league in the Philippines, the PFF launched the PFF National League Task Force on December 2, 2013. The task force was led by Filipino economist Bernie Villegas, and is composed of UFL President Randy Roxas, AFC Deputy General Secretary and Competition Director Windsor John, Filipino FIFA official Domeka Garamendi, AFC Kick-off Program Director Yogesh Desai, UFL Commissioner Bonnie Ladrido, ABS-CBN's Dino Laurena, former PFF' General Secretary Cyril Dofitas and Gelix Mercader. The task force was tasked to do market research studies to determine the possible cities or regions where participating football clubs can be based, as well as assisting clubs in the Philippines to conform to AFC club licensing regulations. The PFF initially set a goal to launch the national league in two to three years from the inception of the task force.

Singaporean sports marketing agency, Red Card Group led by former Singaporean international, R. Sasikumar, assisted the PFF in the initial stages of planning the league.

The Philippines Football League was officially announced on September 7, 2016 and will replace the UFL as the Philippines' top tier football league. The name "Philippines Football League" was the most-preferred name for the league in a Nielsen survey which covered interviews of 5,000 people nationwide. Other choices included P-League, Maharlika League, Liga Pilipina, and Philippine Premier League.

Nielsen also conducted a study in 2015, where they identified 13 key localities throughout the Philippines were identified as viable home venues for participating clubs in the PFL. Among the factors considered were existing infrastructures, accessibility, capacity of fans to pay, the existence of sponsors, and fan appreciation of the sport. Each applicant club was asked to nominate a home stadium based in the locality of their choosing.

At least six teams from all over the Philippines would be part of the PFL, with clubs from the UFL invited to join. Interested clubs were presented with the PFF's Club Licensing Regulations, and were given until December 2016 to formally apply to join the PFL. The league competition was slated to begin in either the last week of March or the first week of April in 2017.

The PFF has said in an interview in November 2016 that five clubs have already confirmed participation in the 2017 season. These are Stallion, Kaya, Loyola, Global, and Ceres.Global F.C. is reportedly going to make Cebu as its home city with its official home field, the University of San Carlos stadium in Talamban and the Cebu City Sports Center. Loyola Meralco Sparks F.C. is reportedly making Taguig as their home city and the Emperador Stadium in McKinley Hill, at the The Fort as their home field. Stallion F.C. is also reportedly joining the PFL and have arranged to make Biñan as their home town.

Competition format

The PFL will follow a home-and-away, double round-robin format. The top four teams will advance to the play-off round dubbed as the "Finals Series" to determine the champions of the league. A knockout cup competition will also be contested between the PFL's participating clubs, with matches interspersed within the league schedule.

For its inaugural season, the PFL will only have one division. The PFF expressed its hopes to form a second division as the league expands, with a system of promotion and relegation with the PFL to be put in place. The UFL has expressed its openness to serve as the second tier competition or youth league to the PFL.

Organization

The PFF are set to form a corporation with the PFL's participating clubs in order to support the league. All concerns not addressed in the PFF's Club Licensing Regulations, as well as the interest of commercial companies seeking to sponsor the league and participating clubs, will be discussed through the proposed corporation. Each club will have to pay a franchise fee to the corporation.

The league will be professional and not a developmental league. The clubs will have a share of the league's broadcast revenues and sponsorhips and each club will be assisted by the league in securing their own sponsors.

Club identity

All PFL clubs are required under the PFF Club Licensing Regulations to have a name that includes the name of their home locality. The clubs are also required to have nicknames, crests, and colors based on the unique characteristics of their home locality.

Players and salaries

Participating clubs are allowed to have a minimum 25 and a maximum of 30 players. Reportedly in September 2016, only four foreigners are to be allowed per club, with at least one foreigner coming from an AFC country. On January 17, 2017, it was reported that this foreign player limit rule is yet to be finalized by the PFF.

The PFL will also have a salary cap and a salary floor.

Youth development

All participating clubs in the PFL are required to commit to the organization and development of at least two youth teams, an under-18 and an under-15. The clubs' youth teams are required to participate in competitions organized by the Philippine Football Federation.

Stadiums

The clubs of the PFL are required to have a certified home stadium either through ownership of the stadium or having an active contract with the owners of the stadium. Likewise, all clubs are required to have access to or own a training field and facility.