Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Philippines now has a professional national football league that will bring the beautiful game all over the country.
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) officially unveiled the Philippines Football League (PFL) in a ceremony last week at the Shangri-La at the Fort to kick things off.
The newly-formed league will be played in a home-and-away format, with each of the clubs representing a certain city or region.
The top four clubs after a double round robin will figure in a final series.
The PFF announced that all matches will be played on Saturdays and Sundays, from 4pm to 6pm.
People’s Television (PTV) has committed to air two live matches every weekend.
The PFF announced that the new league will be the basis of nomination for all Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club competitions.
Previously, the former de facto top club competition in the country, the United Football League, was used to determine the nominations.
According to PFF president Nonong Araneta, the PFL is the national federation’s way of bringing top level football to the different regions in the country.
“This is a dream come true for all of us involved in this project. We appreciate the time, effort and resources put in by the clubs to make the PFL possible,” Araneta said. “We’ve taken the next step for Philippine football.”
The eight clubs and their respective stadia are as follows:
The first match day of the PFL will kick-off on May 6, with Kaya FC-Makati hosting Ceres Negros FC in the opening game at the University of Makati.
