Ceres Negros, 7 other FCs join PFL

By Henry G. Doble

                                                                

NEGROS Occidental’s Ceres Negros FC and seven other professional football clubs have officially signed up with the country’s first national premier league, the Philippines Football League (PFL), set to kick off in March or early April. After the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) introduced PFL last year, the teams that have confirmed their participation are last year’s United Football League (UFL) double champions Global FC, UFL runner-up Ceres Negros FC, Stallion FC, Loyola Meralco Sparks FC, Kaya FC, Green Archers United FC, and JP Voltes FC. While Ceres FC will be representing Negros Occidental, its arch rival Global FC will have Cebu as its home field, and Loyola Meralco will be hosted by Taguig City. Other clubs have yet to announce their respective home pitches. PFF General-Secretary Edwin Gastanes said the league, which will be the country’s top tier league, and will serve as qualifying for all international competitions, is eyeing to put six to eight teams to start the tournament. It will run for eight months for its initial season. In its inaugural season, the PFL will only have one division – playing in a home-and-away, double round-robin format with top four teams advancing in the semis and later in the finals. Based on the study conducted by the PFF, potential localities which can serve as home turf to participating clubs were rated based on the existing infrastructures, accessibility, capacity of fans to pay, the existence of sponsors, and fan appreciation of the sport. On the composition of the team, Gastanes said that each team should have minimum of 25 players with a maximum of 30, including three goalkeepers, four foreign players (3+1 player from the Asian Football Confederation), and a minimum of three youth players in the roster.

Read more: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/sports/2017/01/10/ceres-negros-7-other-fcs-join-pfl-519281