PPL replaces PFL to expand competitive football in the country

FILE: “Press Conference Fairmont Hotel, Makati
Left to Right: PPL Commissioner Bernard “Bernie” Sumayao, PFF President Mariano Araneta Jr., and PPL Tournament Director Richard “Richie” Gannaban” (Photo: Philippines Premier League/Facebook)

During a press conference last Wednesday, January 23, PPL commissioner Bernie Sumayao described the league as “a new entity, it’s a rebirth, it’s a reboot,” clarifying, “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.”

Sumayao described that there will be a total of 27 matches played during the elimination round of the first season of the PPL, following the rules of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). A target of eight teams is what the league aims for, all divided into two groups as they battle it out for the championship at the end of the year in December.

As of now, there are a total of eight teams that have expressed their interest in joining, namely, PFL champion Ceres Negros, inaugural Copa Paulino Alcantara titlist Kaya-Iloilo, Stallion Laguna, Green Archers United Globe and Philippine Air Force.

For the final list of teams, Sumayao shared that it will be announced in February, explaining, “We are still in the process of putting together all the documentation” because all teams must be financially stable in order to pay the registration fee. However, he explains, “Our idea is to have them sponsored. Someone can sponsor the hotels, the accommodations, so the financial burden is lesser for the teams,” therefore implementing centralized games so each team only has to pay for the players’ salaries.

As for the venue of the games, there will be a total of 3 to 4 grounds – the main one currently being the University of Makati.