Pinoy club football continues to swim upstream

Azkal Chris Greatwich in action for Kaya against Laos in the Smart - PFF National Championship. Image copyright Bob Guerrero.

Philippine club football has come a long way. Philippine club football has a long way to go.

Those paradoxical statements pretty much sum up the state of club play in the Philippines as the country’s premier club competition, the Smart-PFF National Club Championship, continues this week until Saturday. (The United Football League is primarily a Metro Manila tournament while this competition is national in scope.)

The Azkals may be the most famous of the Philippines’ football squads, but in truth there are many amateur, professional, and semi-pro clubs all over the country that need our love too. But they just aren’t getting it. And it doesn’t bode well for the game.

Clubs form the foundation of a national team. And yet ever since the Azkals explosion of 2010, it’s been a difficult slog for our clubs and leagues.

The national championship features five first-division UFL teams in Ceres, Global, Stallion, Kaya and Loyola, one second-tier UFL side with Laos, and two provincial clubs, Erco from Cebu and M'Lang from Cotabato. The provincial teams made it through local qualifying heats to squeeze into the national elite eight.

This phase of the competition has been dogged by controversy and other issues that cast shadows over the Pinoy club scene.

Erco was originally slated to borrow five players from UFL top flight side Green Archers United Globe, including the iconic Chieffy Caligdong. But two days before the last eight kicked off, the organizers nixed the loan deal, provoking a fierce reply from veteran Cebu football writer Mike Limpag.

ALSO READ: UFC coming to Manila May 16.

I’ve been told that there is a possibility Erco did not complete the necessary paperwork on time. Plus, I have also been informed that had the deal pushed through, the said Archers would not be able to play for their parent club until the UFL’s first add-drop window of the season, which is after the UAAP in March. That means GAU would not have had the services of the five from the beginning of the UFL early next month until the window, which would at least be a month.

Erco has also assailed the refereeing in Sunday’s group game against M'lang, which finished 2-2.

“A very bad experience for a new comer like our club… we’ve encountered lot of problems in forming our team and in going for manila… then pag abot d i much more problems (sic) pa d i tungod sa pabor pabor nga officiating….” wrote club official Rodney Orale on his public Facebook page.

Another issue is the compressed schedule, which has two four-team groups playing a round robin, then a semifinals round and one final match all from January 22 to 31, just ten days. For sure one finalist will have had played five games in nine days. I’ve heard gripes from some of the teams, but none will speak on the record.

With the upcoming UFL season, SEA Games, and other competitions looming, for sure the PFF wanted this event out of the way sooner than later. Budgetary constraints likely also played a role, especially with teams coming from the province. Some old-timers have also said that this sched, while not ideal, is better than in previous years, when youth teams in national comps sometimes had to play every day.

Fortunately the competition officials are allowing up to six subs per game, which helps lessen the wear-and-tear factor.

The PFF has made tremendous strides in recent years with several notable initiatives. They have upped the number of licensed coaches in the country with several seminars for “C,” “B,” and “A,” coaches all over the country. There was also a goalkeeping coaching seminar last year. Youth national teams for both mens and women’s categories have been sent abroad for competitions. And the PFF is overseeing the rise of new fields in Carmona, Cavite, and Tacloban. But the federation nonetheless receives its share of criticism for its flagship tournament.

At the end of the day, however, we must all be grateful to the PFF for holding this tournament, warts and all. It helps develop players, giving them much-needed experience. There are plenty of young players on the rosters of all the teams involved. Everyone is learning in this process, the PFF included.

ALSO READ: Mayweather set to name opponent this week, Manny 80% thinks it’s him.

The more well-known venue for top clubs is the UFL, considered the highest level of league play in the country by most observers. The standard of play has grown from strength to strength and the league can take plenty of credit for keeping the Azkals sharp. But it has had its struggles too.

Attendance is sparse in many games with the exception of cup finals and other big matches. Some fans complain that the venues (Rizal Memorial and Emperador) aren’t accessible. It’s been a long time since the league played in the centrally-located University of Makati stadium because of the substandard grass surface there.

The fact that games have usually kicked off on afternoons on weekdays has also rankled some fans.

“Ibalik sa weekend at gawin travel/commute friendly ang venues masaya na ako,” says Xerxes Garcia, the head of Kaya FC’s noted supporter’s club, the Ultras Kaya.

I’ve heard that the league hopes to rectify this situation in the coming season.

The Tuesday and Thursday kickoff times are probably set upon the request of the league’s broadcaster, TV5. My understanding is the TV contract with 5 ends this year.

The UFL also seems to be contracting. Second division sides Dolphins, Cimarron, Nomads and Union have reportedly tapped out and will not participate in this year’s hostilities. Philippine Air Force is also sitting out, and it’s likely Navy will as well. It’s my knowledge that at least one new club is, however, entering the fray in the second-tier. The top flight will still have a full slate of ten teams it appears.

Why are teams leaving? The short answer is, for most of the teams at least, seems to be money.

Having a professional or even semi-pro team is a money pit, as this great piece by my colleague Ryan Fenix shows. In other countries, gate receipts, lucrative TV deals, sponsorships, and kit sales can make a team sustainable. In the Philippines, there’s little of any of that, so team owners and/or corporate sponsors must keep the wallet, ideally a fat one, wide-open.

It seems to be a chicken-and-the-egg situation with Football. Should the teams and clubs put up a good product first then people will come? Or should fans take the plunge and help grow the league?

One thing is certain: the league and its teams could market themselves better. Neither the UFL nor the Smart -PFF championship maximize online tools like youtube to, for example, show game highlights very often.

Bixie Reyes is a former UFL player (in its embryonic days) who still plays in the Weekend Futbol League. A diehard fan of Man United and Barcleona, Reyes occasionally catches UFL games but finds it hard to adopt a team to root for.

“If I miss a Man U game or Barcelona game, at least I can catch the highlights online, which I can’t with the UFL,” he laments.

But a truth about Filipino club football that cannot be ignored is this: at its best, Filipino club football rocks.

The games are often close and exciting, with all sorts of stunning, world-class goals. The potential entertainment value of club football in the Philippines is, in my opinion, massive. Azkals fans who can’t transfer their love for the national team to local clubs are missing out on a lot.

On Monday I watched Loyola and Kaya battle to an enthralling 2-2 draw in the national championship. Here are the video highlights of the game that I captured and posted on youtube.

Most likely it will be Global and Ceres joining Loyola and Stallion in the semis on Thursday. The action should be brilliant.

2015 will be a crucial year for Filipino club football. Two Pinoy clubs, Global and Ceres, will compete in the AFC Cup, a competition for Asian clubs from up-and-coming member associations. This could also be the last year before the national league begins in either 2016 or 2017. It was originally slated to begin this year but that does not seem to be in the cards yet.

Philippine club football faces all sorts of challenges and opportunities in the near future. How it deals with both could lead the way for the rest of the sport in our country.

Watch the Smart-PFF National Club Championship semifinals on Thursday, January 29 at 4pm and 7pm in Rizal Memorial Football stadium. Semifinal winners will play in the final on Saturday, January 31 at 7pm also in Rizal Memorial.

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.