Philippine Premier League revamps club football

by Beatrice Go

The PPL is a new entity, it’s a rebirth, it's a reboot,' says PPL commissioner Bernie Sumayao

MANILA, Philippines – The country's club football scene looks for a fresh start with the launch of the Philippine Premier League (PPL).

PPL commissioner Bernie Sumayao laid down his plans for the league that is targeted to start at the end of March 2019.

"The PPL is a new entity, it’s a rebirth, it's a reboot," said Sumayao in a press conference on Wednesday, January 23.

"We don’t have any political agenda, we don’t have any financial agenda. Our agenda is to be able to reach the same level as what we see around today – that means the other leagues around the region."

The league will be adapting a triple round-robin format where each leg will play 27 matches that will be in accordance with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rules of having a club play minimum of 25 matches in a football leg to qualify for the AFC Cup.

PPL will also retain the Copa Paulino Alcantara where the teams will be divided into two groups and the finalists will face each other for a slot in the AFC Cup.

The 2019 football season is slated to end on December 7.

Interested clubs

Eleven clubs have signified interest, but the target is to have 8 clubs participating for this year.

These include the defunct Philippines Football League (PFL) champion Ceres Negros, inaugural Copa Paulino Alcantara titlist Kaya-Iloilo, Stallion Laguna, Green Archers United Globe and Philippine Air Force.

"We are still in the process of putting together all the documentation and by the 15th of February, we will be able to make the announcement on the final list," said Sumayao.

The teams will also be evaluated by their financial viability in order to sustain their operational expenses.

According to Sumayao, instead of a franchise scheme, teams will pay an annual registration fee that will be a fraction of the cost from the last two years.

The league is also alleviating additional costs for teams by doing away with the home-and-away format of the PFL.

Instead, the triple round-robin league will have matches played in 3 to 4 grounds in Metro Manila. The University of Makati, with a new artificial turf, will be one of the main venues.

But the league still intends to hold centralized matches in provinces, possibily in the third leg of the season.

"The centralized league, our idea is to have them sponsored. Someone can sponsor the hotels, the accommodations, so the financial burden is lesser for the teams," said Sumayao.

"Basically they (the teams) only have to pay for the players’ salaries if we go for the centralized games."

Creating the 'fan experience'

The PPL will be launching a series of activations as they will be prioritizing fan engagement for Philippine football.

"We want to increase fan engagement that is because the fans here – the long suffering fans of Philippine football – there are a lot of frustrations on their part," lamented Sumayao.

"So in my own way, I thought about making that commitment to see where we can bring it, what level we can bring it, and bring it the resources that we have in order for [this development to happen], so to ease the frustration among our fans."

In order to target the younger audiences, the PPL looks to partner with music companies to attract the fans to the football venue – a strategy that has been proven to work in certain markets.

The enforcement of centralized matches will also pave the way for the PPL to organize event activations in the provinces.

"For example, on our third leg, we will hold it in a province like Cebu or Iloilo then we’ll have an actual event there for a couple of weeks. All the matches will be played in that specific location and that will become a massive community that we’ll have concerts, we will have fairs, we will have activations, fan engagement, we have players meet and greet," explained Sumayao.

"All these ideas put together will create a highly festive event in a particular area. And that’s what we really need to encourage to get people engaged in football."

With football events being held across the Philippines, the PPL and the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) are looking to collaborate with local government units (LGUs) to boost the country's grassroots program.

Fans can also tune in to PPL games on 5 Plus where the games will be shown live every Saturday from 7 pm to 9 pm.

With a new team handling the efforts to grow Philippine club football, the long term goal is to establish a multi-tier football league system in the country. – Rappler.com

https://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/football/221713-philippine-premier-league-revamps-club-football

Ceres beefs up champs league roster

By: Cedelf P. Tupas 

Bracing for an uphill climb in the AFC Champions League starting next month, Philippines Football League (PFL) champion Ceres-Negros added depth and quality to its squad after signing four new players for the coming season.

Anticipating the move of stars Patrick Reichelt and Manny Ott, who are reportedly set to sign for clubs overseas, the Busmen signed former Davao Aguilas players Dylan De Bruycker and Dennis Villanueva as well as Angelo Marasigan from Global FC.

Former Kaya Iloilo midfielder Miguel Tanton could turn out to be Ceres’ marquee signing as he’s set to fill the void to be left by Ott who, sources said, will be playing in the Thai League 1 next season.
The League 1, commonly known as T1, is Thailand’s premier football competition contested by 16 clubs and operates on a system of promotion and relegation to League 2.
A key cog for Kaya since 2015, Tanton, a midfielder, was part of the 23-man squad of the Azkals in the AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

A versatile player who can play at midfield or in central defense, Villanueva proved instrumental in the Azkals’ qualification for the Asian Cup, but was unable to crack the squad of coach Sven Goran Eriksson.

De Bruycker played in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia while it will be Marasigan’s second stint with Ceres, which he played for in 2015.

The Busmen begin their campaign on Feb. 5 when they take on Yangon United of Myanmar in the preliminary round of Champions League qualifying at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City. The winner of the match will take on Thai club Chiang Rai United in the next round.

Read more: https://sports.inquirer.net/335792/ceres-beefs-up-champs-league-roster-breaking#ixzz5dS0W2SpH

Manny Ott signs for Thai club

Azkal Manny Ott (Ceres-Negros fc) has signed for Thai League club Ratchaburi Mitrphol FC

Marco Casambre signs for Thai club

Homegrown Marco Casambre (Global Cebu) has signed for Thai club Chainat Hornbill Fc

International Friendly : Stallion Fc 2-4 Sabah FA (Malaysia)

Pics : Jeff Carmona Mondia

Stallion playing Ceres-Negros on Wednesday at Mc Kinley Stadium . Match time 6 pm

Patrick Reichelt has signed for Malaysian club

Azkal Patrick Reichelt has signed for Malaysian club Melaka United.

Goodbye with a goal? Schrock hints at Azkals retirement

By: Cedelf P. Tupas - Reporter

DUBAI—If it was his final match wearing the Philippines kit, then Stephan Schrock made sure it was a memorable one—even though it ended in defeat in the AFC Asian Cup here.

The 32-year-old Schrock made history by scoring the country’s first ever goal in the competition in the second half of a 3-1 defeat to Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday night at Rashid Stadium here.

But the dynamic midfielder later hinted at retirement from the national team after the Azkals bowed out in the most prestigious competition in the continent.

“I feel like that was my final game for the Azkals,” Schrock told the Inquirer on Thursday.

“I had it in my mind to retire from (the national team) after this tournament because I’m 32 and I feel the body gets more aged with every major tournament. We have another long season ahead with Ceres-Negros. We will hardly get a break. I have a family as well and I wanted to see them more often than in the past three months.”

When Schrock floated in a free kick inside the area late in the second half, he was hoping that a teammate will redirect it on target.

Instead, Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Kuzman Kadyrbekov, worried that Azkals striker Javier Patino might be able to make contact on the delivery, misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing Schrock’s free kick to bounce inside the six-yard box and into the roof of the net.

There was hardly any celebration from the Azkals, who were already trailing, 3-nil, before Schrock’s strike, although the goal was greeted by a loud roar from the Filipino gallery.

“Today, I realized more how historic that goal was actually because yesterday I was only thinking about getting two more (goals),” said Schrock, who came out of international retirement a few months ago.

“If I could change it, I would rather win and have someone else score for the Philippines.”

Read more: https://sports.inquirer.net/335002/breaking-goodbye-with-a-goal-schrock-hints-at-azkals-retirement#ixzz5d4EwXjhn

Azkals boss to make sure PH will return to continental tournament

By: Cedelf P. Tupas - Reporter

DUBAI—Whether it’s financial support or emotional attachment, perhaps no other person has invested on the Philippines men’s national team in its quest for international glory than Dan Palami.

That’s why the long-time Azkals manager was also quick to take responsibility on the team’s inability to reach the knockout round of the AFC Asian Cup here.

The Azkals lost all three matches in their group against higher-ranked foes, but a strong performance in the 1-0 defeat South Korea and a first-ever goal by Stephan Schrock in the competition will be among the positives that can be taken away from their debut in the continental showpiece event.

“The thing for me as a manager, I felt that we had actually a chance to get out of the group,” Palami said. “Maybe there were some other things that the management or the coaching staff could have done in order for us to get out of it, but we have to accept the result.”

Palami has been bankrolling the squad’s campaign along with the Philippine Football Federation for close to a decade. And a first-ever appearance in the Asian Cup remains the biggest achievement for the country in the sport.

“We’re happy and privileged to be part of this tournament, but we want to make sure that this won’t be the last time we join this tournament,” Palami said. “Our Under-22, Under-23 and senior teams will progress even further in the coming years.”

Palami hired Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson for the AFF Suzuki Cup and the Asian Cup, and the former England mentor managed to lead the Azkals to two wins, two draws and five defeats.

Football director Scott Cooper, who lacked the coaching badges to handle the squad in a major tournament like the Asian Cup but spearheaded the start of the preparations until Eriksson took charge, will remain with the team.

“Coach Sven’s engagement ends in this tournament,” Palami said. “Meanwhile, we have our football director Scott Cooper taking the reins in the senior team as well as preparing for Under-22 and Under-23 tournament. It is going to be exciting times in the next months.”

The Under-22 side will see action in the Southeast Asian Games that will be hosted by the Philippines late in the year, while the Azkals are set to join the next cycle of World Cup qualifying

 https://sports.inquirer.net/335114/breaking-azkals-boss-to-make-sure-ph-will-return-to-continental-tournament#ixzz5d4ESs9Yw