Insider

Jerome S. Galunan, Jr.

After six months of flying back and forth across the country to play tough matches on both natural and artificial turf, four clubs, FC Meralco Manila, Ceres-Negros FC, Kaya FC-Makati, and Global Cebu FC, secured berths in the 2017 Philippines Football League (PFL) semifinals, which are scheduled to begin this weekend.

Ceres FC is scheduled to meet Kaya on Sunday, December 3, at 4:00 p.m. at the University of Makati Stadium; with the return leg set for the following weekend, December 9, at the Panaad Park and Stadium at 7:00 p.m.

The matches between top-seeded Meralco and fourth-seeded Global have yet to be announced.

After playing to a 1-1 draw in Ceres’ inaugural PFL match against Kaya, the former went on to win their following three meetings – giving the Negrense side an advantage in the post-season. However, as witnessed in their final match of the regular season, with Ceres losing 2-0 to Global, anything can happen in football.

On the other side, they evenly split their match-ups throughout the season, with Meralco and Global each earning one win.

Their other two face-offs ended in draws.

With the league ending in three weeks, the football community is expecting better handling of the tournament next year – particularly in managing match schedules.

As a country where football has started to grow, a lot needs to be ironed out to ensure the league’s longevity.

Further, in order to maintain a regular source for the national team, the league must have every club establish a youth program. These programs will serve as the seedbed for new talent.

The league should also initiate seminars related to venue management, security, media, and marketing and promotions.

Good luck to everybody and see you in the semifinals!/JSG, WDJ