MANILA, Philippines - “It was a tough loss to swallow given what was at stake, but I’m still extremely proud of what the team achieved. They showed that Philippine football has improved a lot,†said United Football League president Randy Roxas, after the Azkals’ defeat to Palestine in the Challenge Cup final.
The impact of the United Football League players in the national team’s exciting run to the Challenge Cup finals shows grassroots development is in the upswing. The UFL’s quality has risen dramatically over the last three years, coinciding with a dramatic improvement in the standard of play of local-based talents. Roxas said that while the initial surge of support from both corporations and individuals aided the development of football in the country greatly, there is still plenty more support needed to actualize the sport’s massive potential.
“Work and investments towards developing the domestic football league through the UFL, the country’s premier football league, is now starting to show dividends. We need to acknowledge the tremendous support of our media partner, TV5, part of the MVP group of companies, for providing us with financial resources and live TV coverage that helps us accelerate the growth of football in the country.â€
TV5 signed a five-year, P150M contract with the UFL in 2011, the first ever deal to broadcast local football nationwide.