Ang Liga gets backing from FPJ Panday Bayanihan for 19th Season

MANILA, Philippines – On the eve of the kickoff of the 19th season of Ang Liga, the country’s largest collegiate football league signed a collaborative partnership with FPJ Panday Bayanihan and Pantheon Holdings, which is hoped by Ang Liga director of operations Karl Tan “to elevate the league.”

In the last two decades, Ang Liga has been a tournament where schools are able to unveil their lineups and give them exposure prior to the UAAP and NCAA.

Among the squads participating in the upcoming Ang Liga season include Ateneo, La Salle, San Beda, UST, FEU, CSB and others.

La Salle are the defending Ang Liga champions.

"We are blessed and thankful that we were able to get the backing of Brian Poe-Llamanzares and the FPJ Panday Bayanihan Foundation, with a goal to give more exposure to the nation's grassroots development and to give a platform for the youth, from all walks of life" said Karl Tan, Director of Operations of Ang Liga. "This season is just a start, and we are planning a whole lot for the game of football locally."

The chairman of FPJ Panday Bayanihan, Brian Poe-Llamanzares, has always believed in the ability of sports to ignite personal growth and inspire positive change. 

"The partnership FPJ Panday Bayanihan between Ang Liga is a way for us to further cultivate the future of football in the Philippines. We believe in nation building and sports has always been one of the avenues we can take to advocate this," said Poe-Llamanzares, who donned the varsity jersey of Ateneo during his school days. "Football is a sport where we know we can be competitive and we have proven we can be champions."

Pantheon Holdings, a start-up investment firm committed to supporting community development initiatives, has joined the collaboration, bringing its resources and expertise to the table.  "Our vision at Pantheon Holdings has always been to create impact and help provide structure for local initiatives and investments in different sectors. Sports has always been a driving force to build community and we're glad to be helping FPJ Panday Bayanihan and Ang Liga foster that this season," said Pantheon Holdings CEO Faye Abrihan.

The Ang Liga team also includes Patrick Maramara, founder of KickStart Football and is actively involved as one of Ang Liga's tournament directors. "This partnership ensures that the efforts put in by all involved in the 19 years of Ang Liga will come to fruition sooner than later, maintaining its true goal — developing the Filipino footballer player into one with world-class standards," added Maramara.