PFL takes futsal to greater heights

By Mark C. Giongco
INQUIRER.net

ANILA—The Philippine Futsal League is already a testament that futsal is one of the fastest rising sports in the country, but its organizers hope to take the league a step higher.
Founded by Iranian born coach Esmaeil Sedigh of the Philippine national team, the PFL—like any other league trying to establish its name—started from scratch before carving futsal into the local sporting world’s consciousness.
“We really had to start from somewhere before anything else,” said Sedigh, a former first division U21 football player in Iran.
“We’re (Philippines) one of the countries who have leagues for futsal, not all countries have one,” added Sedigh, who first became as an assistant coach in 2005 for the country’s national squad before being tapped as head coach two years after.
Sedigh noticed the potential of Filipinos to excel internationally in this fast-paced sport, which prompted him to conceptualize the PFL. How good can Filipinos be in the sport? The country’s men’s futsal team has risen to No. 88 in the world and Sedigh doesn’t see the climb stopping anytime soon.
“Before, we had problems scouting players. We had to go to provinces and different schools. We just had a hard time,” Sedigh recalled.
The PFL solved that problem. The league flushed players out of hiding and gave them a venue to showcase their skills. Now, nearly the entire women’s national futsal team was discovered in the PFL.

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