The local domestic scene returns as the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) announces the official kickoff date of the Philippines Football League brought to you by Qatar Airways Season 2022-2023 on 14 August 2022 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila.
The season will run from August 2022 to May 2023 as the PFL aligns its league fixtures with the AFC competitions calendar beginning next year. The first two rounds will be played from August to November 2022 followed by the third and fourth rounds scheduled for January to May 2023.
For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, league matches will be played in several venues across the country with the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila, Biñan Football Stadium in Biñan, Laguna, City of Imus Grandstand in Imus, Cavite, and the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite as the initial match venues. Additionally, the league, through the initiative of the clubs, will hold select matches at the Dynamic Herb Sports Complex in Cebu, the New Clark City Stadium in Pampanga, and the Iloilo Sports Complex in Iloilo.
Prior to the official league kickoff, the league will play the initial scheduled matches on 07 and 08 August 2022 and will serve as the competition’s curtain raiser prior to the official season launch on 14 August.
Kaya FC-Iloilo and Azkals Development Team kick off the festivities this Sunday at 4:00 PM followed by the clash between Maharlika Manila and defending league champions United City FC at 7:00 PM. Both matches will be played in Rizal.
Stallion Laguna FC and Mendiola FC open their campaign on Monday at the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
PFL commissioner Mikhail Torre formally announced the fixtures to the representatives of the seven (7) participating clubs during an online meeting last week.
“After months of anticipation, our professional league will finally kick off this Sunday with two mouthwatering clashes to reignite domestic rivalries and to reinvigorate the club football scene,” said Torre. “We are looking forward to the staging of the league of which the first two rounds will be played from August to November, and the final two rounds to be held early next year in accordance with the new competitions calendar.”
Among the changes for this season will be the club’s involvement in the hosting of the matches, in coordination with the clubs. This initiative will allow clubs to familiarize themselves with match operations with the league guiding them during their hosting.
Another provision in this year’s competition is the expansion of the foreigner rule where clubs are allowed to allot up to six (6) foreign players in their official roster, provided that one (1) player is a citizen of a country that is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). However, the league has retained the 3+1 foreigner policy in the starting 11, with 2 foreign substitutes on the bench.
The league has also implemented the expansion of the substitutes with 10 players on the bench up from seven substitutes in previous seasons.
League matches will remain to be shown on live-streaming through its Facebook and YouTube accounts. Fans are also encouraged to watch the matches live at the venues with the clubs already providing match tickets for everyone to watch.