Football aficionados who used to play the game in their younger days have reason to be proud of their childhood sport because it is poised to go mainstream once again with the opening of the forthcoming United Football League (UFL) next month.

“Football is arguably the second most played sport in the Philippines next to basketball, with millions of kids playing it all over the country. We need to give them a league wherein they can aspire to play in one day,” says Philip Hagedorn, head of the Football Alliance (FA), the prime mover group of the UFL.

He said that despite being the most popular sport in the world, football hasn’t attained its full potential and has failed to establish a strong fan base because of the absence of a permanent league, as well as the lack of support from government sports bodies and stakeholders.

“It is our vision to bring football back by tapping the youth, professionals, enthusiasts and serious footballers and relive the country’s glory days in the sport through the UFL,”

Backed by leading courier firm LBC Express, the three-part league unfolds in October and ends in May 2010 as a fitting build-up tournament to the World Cup in 2010 set in South Africa.

Already, the UFL has 16 corporate-backed teams with some 400 players, representing the various football clubs in the country, including Korean, Japanese, and expat teams.

While far from being a play-for-pay league, the FA is optimistic that this will be a good opportunity to jumpstart the sport and make it a premiere league in Asia.

Venues are the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, the Ateneo de Manila Football Field, the Philippine Army Football Field, and Nomads Football Field in Parañaque which will host the opening games on October 17.

“We derive our inspiration from Filipino football player Paulino Alcantara, the all-time leading scorer for the prestigious Football Club Barcelona, where he scored 357 goals in as many games. He also earned 15 titles in the Spanish and Catalan Championships from 1912-27,” Hagedorn recalls.

He added that the country has had its shining moments in football when it emerged as FEG champions in 1913, and beat Asian powerhouse Japan in 1917 and 1958 in the Asian Games.

He also pointed out that the country is a pioneer in the sport in Asia, being the birthplace of the Asian Football Club.

The RP team became a semifinalist in the 1991 Manila Southeast Asian Games, and the country’s presence in the global football arena has since waned. .

“All these things indicate that we need to really revive the sport because we can win medals in international tournaments, given the proper support, especially the government,” he concludes.