With the start of the Philippines Football League (PFL) tentatively scheduled on Sept. 25, Kaya FC Iloilo is ready to win the title this season.
To recall, the PFL has postponed anew the start of its new season due to rising coronavirus disease 2019 cases in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The league announced on Monday night that it is now eyeing to start the domestic football year tentatively by Sept. 25.
For Kaya FC Iloilo team captain and Ilonggo Jovin Bedic, one of the team’s struggles is to look for a training ground where they can practice ahead of the tournament.
“For now dahil laging my lockdown nahihirapan kami maghanap ng venue ng training but ginagawan naman nang paraan ng management. Wala pa talagang final gameplan kami kasi di pa sure if when ang kickoff ng PFL. But nagreready lang kami lagi if my go signal na sila. Looking forward to winning this PFL league this season,” he added.
The PFL was supposed to start the season last month but they need to postpone it as Carmona and other places in Manila were placed under MECQ last time.
“The league prioritizes the health and safety of the players, coaching staff, match officials, sponsors, and other stakeholders involved in the organization of the matches,” the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), which is operating the PFL, said in a statement.
Bedic who joined Kaya FC in 2013 caught the attention of the crowd after scoring the lone goal for the team’s inaugural title of the 2018 Copa Paulino Alcantara. Kaya and Davao Aguilas were at a scoreless draw by the end of regulation time. At the 119th minute, Bedic scored the match-winning goal to give Kaya the victory. Now that his leading the team, he makes sure to bounce back stronger this season.
“Wala pa naman bago talaga na pumasok. Same padin sa champions league line up namin. Nag oobserve lang coaching staffs namin sa lahat ng players para kung anung pwede nilang mabigay sa team this season,” he added.
The pandemic also haltered the team’s training because of limited movement. “Sa training, of course, kailangan first day palang my swab test na and wala namang problema contacts kasi nga my swab test naman kami and nasa GCQ naman ang lugar na pinagti-trainingan namin,” the Barotac Nuevo striker said.
Meanwhile, Ilonggo football star Ruben Doctora Jr., who is playing for Stallion FC, said it’s hard for all of them to train since football is a team sport and not individually played.
“Even our trainor gives us programs for work-out but it’s not enough as we need to train as a team. I always do my work-out even at home. I do not let my fitness go down. Eat properly. Always stay focus on what’s ahead of you,” Doctora explained.
The PFL is likely to hold its season at the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona but this time in a closed-circuit transportation format that would see the footballers going to the pitch straight from their homes and vice versa.
With the ongoing threat of COVID-19, they also urged everyone to continue practicing the minimum health standards. The PFL currently has six member clubs following the acceptance of Cebu FC to its fold on a provisional status plus the Azkals Development Team as a guest club. The league is also waiting for pending applications of two other clubs – Laos FC and CDO Rapids to make it nine teams this season.
