THE MAN BEHIND AIR FORCE FC IN THE PHILIPPINE FOOTBALL LEAGUE (PFL) KEITH BUYCO WANTS CEBU AS THE HOME OF THE AIRMEN.
AIR FORCE FC of the Philippine Airforce wants Cebu City as home court for the coming Philippine Football League (PFL) when it opens its third season on May 25.
Team sponsor and main supporter Keith Buyco confirmed this after the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) officially approved the temporary professional license of the club with another professional team Mendiola United.
“We have informed the Cebu Football Association (CFA) about our intention to make the Queen City of the South as our home. I am confident they will approve it,’’ he said.
WELCOME TO THE PFL AIRFORCE FC
He added they were thinking of Lipa City with the Aboitiz field as their home but the presence of a strong football community in Cebu convinced them that the Queen City of the South is the right choice.
“We are sure that the Cebuanos will come to watch professional football,’’ he added. Cebu was the home of the Global Cebu FC before and the paying Cebuanos trooped the Cebu City Sports Center every time Global played.
Global has since moved to Makati
VETERAN YANTI BERSALES (right) WILL LEAD THE AIRMEN.
Buyco also pointed out that Mactan also has Mactan Airforce base which can accommodate the players when they play in Cebu. Most of the Airforce players are Philippine Airforce servicemen.
Airforce is the seventh club in the Philippine Football League (PFL) with Mendiola United, Stallions FC-Laguna, Kaya Iloilo, Ceres Negros, Makati FC (formerly Global), and Green Archers United.
Newly elected Central Visayas Regional Football Association (CVRFA) president Rodney Orale is welcoming the Airforce to Cebu although he is still waiting for the letter of intent from the Airforce.
NEWLY ELECTED CENTRAL VISAYAS REGIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (CVRFA) RODNEY ORALE IS SUPPORTING THE MOVE OF THE AIRFORCE TO MAKE CEBU CITY AS THEIR HOME.
“Good move for Airforce to be part of Cebu City, i think the football community here in Cebu will be very supported for their intentions. Hopefully we could meet them the soonest possible time,’’ he said
He added that the Cebu City Sports Center needs a little fixing and some parts of it needs some grass. He however added that the Leylam/Borromeo stadium at the South Reclamation is almost ready to be used.
The plan for the Airforce to make Cebu its official home is expected to face smooth sailing as Orale is also a close friend of Buyco. Both of them were partners in supporting the football program of Don Bosco Technological Center (DBTC) in Labangaon.
They used to have the BRO (Buyco, Ramos, Orale) football tournaments every summer organised with coach Glen Ramos. They also had football playing children studying at DBTC.
Erich Rafael Orale is now a freshman playing for University of Sto. Thomas in the UAAP, while Luis Joaquin Boyco no plays and studies at De La Salle Zobel in Manila. (l.biantan@gmail.com)
