United Football League (Philippines)
Defunct association football league in Metro Manila, Philippines / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about United Football League (Philippines)?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The United Football League, commonly known as the UFL, was an association football league, replaced by the Philippines Football League, based in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, governed by the Football Alliance (FA) in partnership with United Football Clubs Association (UFCA).[1][2] The UFL was the Philippines' primary football league. In its last season in 2016, it was contested by 12 clubs and operated without a system of promotion and relegation with UFL Division 2, which was discontinued. Games were often scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.[3] To avoid the country's rainy season, the league usually kicked off sometime between the months of January and February each year.[4]
Organising body | Football Alliance United Football Clubs Association |
---|---|
Founded | 2009 |
Folded | 2016 |
Country | Philippines |
Confederation | AFC |
Number of teams | 12 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | UFL Division 2 |
Domestic cup(s) | UFL Cup |
League cup(s) | UFL FA League Cup UFL FA Charity Cup |
International cup(s) | AFC Cup |
Last champions | Global (3rd title) (2016) |
Most championships | Global (3 titles) |
The league started as a semi-professional tournament in 2009.[5] For its inaugural season, the first UFL Cup, sanctioned by both the Philippine Football Federation and National Capital Region Football Association, was held in 2009 to determine the clubs that would participate in the league. Since then, it has been described as a thriving football league, organized by former football players and aficionados.[6] A total of 20 clubs have competed in the UFL since its founding. It was organized by the Football Alliance, whose long-term goal is the continued development of football in the Philippines through a premier league.[7]
Four clubs have been crowned league champions: Global (3), Philippine Air Force (2), Stallion (1), and Ceres (1). The last champions were Global, which won their third title in the 2016 season.