Good to have PFL but improvements needed, say Younghusbands
UNDENIABLY part and parcel of the football resurgence in the country in the last decade, brothers Phil and James Younghusband said they are very happy and proud of how far the sport has come since they first came here and the development that went with it along the way, including the establishment of the country’s own professional league — the Philippines Football League ( PFL).
But while they welcome the setting-up of the PFL, the Younghusbands also acknowledge that like anything that is in its early stages of existence, more can still be done as far as the handling of the PFL is concerned moving forward to really achieve the goals it has set for itself as an organization.
“I think it’s great that we have a professional league here in the Philippines. It’s a good opportunity to promote the sport especially to kids, maybe for them to make a career out of it and have more exposure for the game. But of course, improvements are still needed, including having the needed facilities,” said James, 31, in a recent interview with BusinessWorld’s High Life magazine. He was seconded by younger brother Phil, 30, who added marketing and organizational improvements as something that need to be addressed by the league, which has seen a reduced field of six teams this year from eight in 2017 and some teams currently facing financial difficulties.
“We are thankful to make a living out what we love. Back in 2005, we did not have a pro league here in the Philippines. We are thankful for the people who set up the UFL (United Football League) and the PFL. But there are still things to improve on,” said Phil, for his part.
“In football nothing is perfect. There is something we can always improve on — marketing, organizational and all those sorts of things. The players, too, have to do our part as well to improve the quality of the league. But things are improving but compared to other countries it’s still not enough,” added Phil, who, along with his brother James, played with Loyola Meralco Sparks FC in the nowdefunct UFL and in early in the inaugural season of the PFL last year before moving to Davao Aguilas FC midway into the tournament last season.
Moving to another team was a tough one to make, said the Younghusbands, especially since they had become close to the management and the people at Loyola Meralco, which incidentally was one of the teams that declined to participate in the PFL this year along with Ilocos United FC.
But they are nonetheless happy to have moved to Davao, seeing how the team has welcomed them with open arms and has set bigger goals in its PFL campaign.
“It was tough leaving Loyola because we were there for almost six years. We had become close to the management and owners of the team so it was difficult. But we had to move on but definitely it was one of the toughest decisions I had to make,” said James.
“We had so many friends there. Not to be part of the team anymore it was tough. But that is sports. We had to look for our future and it was something we had to do. But we maintain a good relationship with the club and hopefully we get to work with them in the future,” added Phil.
“Things have been doing well with Davao. One of the reasons we moved there is they have a vision to carry the country’s flag in international competitions much like what [defending champion] Ceres [Negros FC] is doing right now. I think we are progressing well and developing fast in such short a time. I think in a year and half we will achieve our goals,” James said.
Currently Davao is at third place in the 2018 PFL table with a 4-2-4 record and 14 points in 10 games.
On top are Ceres (7-0-1) with 21 points in eight matches and Kaya- Iloilo FC ( 5-1- 3) with 16 points in nine games. —