American Football in the Philippines
By: Philippine Footnotes
Tags: NFL, Philippines, American Football, Pafl

Here’s another old article I wrote back in August of 2018. Enjoy!

It’s true that American Football isn’t the most popular sport here in my country. Basketball, Volleyball, and maybe even Soccer get more publicity than American football. Not many people know about it. I’ve had people approach me before when I would play American football with my friends and ask what it was we were doing, where they could watch us play, and if they could join in as well if ever. If given the opportunity, this sport could be as big as Basketball, Volleyball, or Soccer.

There are various leagues that organize tournaments and pick up games. Among those leagues would be the Philippine-American Football League, or PAFL. This league was founded by Mr. Demosthenes Juanatas Jr. or Demos for short. This is a league that focuses on the sport of football and will have their first game of the season on September 1. Demos, under the name of the PAFL, also organizes flag football games every Friday night. While there are other leagues (especially a lot more leagues that are focused on flag football), I was given the chance to speak with Demos recently. I got to ask him a couple of questions about PAFL; know more about them, what they’ve been through, and where they’re headed. See our question and answer portion below:

PFN: When and how did the PAFL start?

Demos: The PAFL started in 2016, but before that, there was a previous league that collapsed. Everything became history after that.

PFN: Who would you consider as the founding fathers? Or was it just you?

Demos: In all honesty, I founded it. For the past three years, I’ve been doing everything from marketing, promoting, social media marketing, organizing, strategizing, closing sponsorships and partnership deals, and everything else in between.

There were also team owners/managers who were there since day 1, who believed in me, and that I would be able to create a brighter future for the sport. These people were the heads of the first teams in the 2016 season: Martin Lloyd from Wolf Pack, Vic Deguia from Rough Riders, Dennis Graves from Warriors, Jared Famor from Datu, and Ashton Naldoza from Outlaws.

Starting 2017 though I started getting a bit more help. Today, we are growing into something bigger and that because of more dedicated people that are willing to help out, when and where they can. Shout out to Darren Dario for holding down the website and a shout out to all our contributors/sports writers this year.

PFN: How about for the future? What do you envision for PAFL? What is the end goal?

Demos: The end goal for the PAFL is to make American Football the #1 sport in the Philippines.

PFN: What were some early on troubles you came across and how did you overcome them?

Demos: Budgeting. That was a problem in the past. Today we are gaining more sponsorships and partnerships to overcome that big problem.

PFN: How about today? What are some troubles you’re currently faced with especially with the new season coming?

Demos: As a new sport, we could always use a bigger fan base. That’s the biggest problem right now, we’re not being seen by the masses. We recently partnered with ESPN5 and hopefully, that will boost the league to another level, all across the board.

PFN: Is PAFL affiliated with other leagues? Tackle or flag.

Demos: We are not affiliated with any leagues, but my arms are always open to help any organizations in need. There are different organizations out there, though they fly under a different banner, we all have a common goal: grow football in the Philippines. #GrowFootballPH is the official hashtag that we have been using since the start of the league. This is why I don’t mind working together and collaborating with other organizations.

PFN: How are the teams formed here in the Philippines?

Demos: Teams are formed by players who’ve already played the game before. Then they themselves are the ones funding their own teams, or if they can, they’re sponsored so as to lower

operational costs.

PFN: What are your thoughts on players switching teams.

Demos: Players can switch teams anytime they want, up until the season starts. Once the season starts, the rosters are locked.

PFN: What will it take for players to start getting paid to play?

Demos: A lot of work. We would need a lot of work… A LOT.

PFN: Any messages you want to send out to the people?

Demos: Come and watch the games this season live on Saturdays at Circuit Makati Blue Pitch. 3:00pm to 10:00pm. This sport is for everyone. We also have Friday Night Flag Football pick-up games. This is every Friday 9:00 pm to 12:00 am at Circuit Makati Blue Pitch.

There we go. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, the interview didn’t last very long.

It’s true that American Football is still in its infancy in the Philippines, but compared to where it was a couple of years ago, we definitely are headed in the right direction. Although, based on the conversation I had with Demos, I figured that one other hurdle here in the Philippines is the lack of incentives to play. Given that the players aren’t paid to play (not yet at least), these athletes are putting their bodies through so much and risking injuries, some life-threatening ones even. Until these players can get some kind of insurance, it may be hard to convince players to try out football — I guess that’s why the majority tend to settle with Flag. It’s, as they say, a business decision. At the end of the day, those that stay, stay for the love of the game.

If you want to see what the PAFL is about, then I highly suggest you check out their Facebook Page, their website, or just reach out to Demos himself, he’s very approachable. In the meantime, how about you show your support and show up this Saturday, September 1 for the kick-off of the PAFL season.