Philippine Army F.C.
| Full name | Philippine Army Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Troopers | |||
| Short name | PAFC | |||
| Founded | 1960 | |||
| Ground | Various | |||
| Owner | Philippine Army | |||
| President | Maj. CJ Paolo P. Pérez | |||
| Head coach | Nestorio Margarse Jr. | |||
| League | Philippines Football League | |||
| 2024 | Philippines Football League, 14th of 15 | |||
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Philippine Army Football Club is a football section of the Philippine Army. It was founded in 1960 through the effort of the Special Services Unit that promotes sports and physical fitness within the army. The club last played in the Philippines Football League, the top-flight league of football in the Philippines.
History
In 2003, the club participated in the inaugural edition of ASEAN Club Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia, where they finished the tournament with 2 losses playing against Indian club, Kingfisher East Bengal and Thailand club, BEC Tero Sasana.[1]
Philippine Army participated in the sole season of the Filipino Premier League in 2008, winning over Giligans in the league final match.[2]
United Football League
Philippine Army played in the now-defunct United Football League, which was the de facto top-tier league in the Philippines. Initially the club was among the top teams in the league, finishing third in the 2011 season. They finished 9th in the following two seasons in. The club avoided relegation by winning against Union Internacional Manila in the playoff.[3]
For the 2014 UFL season, Philippine Army had a temporary merger with General Trias International and the military squad was bolstered by Korean players.[4] The move was done due to difficulties in scheduling the training of its players, enlisted soldiers often called into duty. The team played as Philippine Army GTI for that season.[5]
At the latter part of the 2015 season, Philippine Army was disqualified from the United Football League including any related competitions.[6]
Philippines Football League
Philippine Army announced return for the 2023 Copa Paulino Alcantara. In 2024, They make their debut in the top-flight league, the Philippines Football League after confirming its participation in February 2024. Philippine Army played their first ever top-flight league match on 6 April 2024 in a 3–2 lost against Manila Diggers.
Players criteria
As a football club under the Armed Forces of the Philippines like the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force. Philippine Army can only sign players who are also enlisted in the Philippine Army.[3] Though for the 2014 season the squad included non-Army enlistees with the temporary merger of the club with General Trias International.
The club had players who has played for the Philippines national team such as Roel Gener, Nestorio Margarse, and Eduard Sacapaño.[3]
Former players
- Lurix Araneta
- Rey Saluria
- Jesus Baron
- Judy Saluria
- Jeoffrey Lobaton
- Wilson Dela Cruz
- Billy Estrella
- Roel Gener
- Luisito Brillantes
- Eduard Sacapaño
Honors
Domestic competitions
- Philippines National Championship
- Winners (2): 1992, 2001
- Winners (1): 2008
- Runners-up (1): 2009
- Manila Premier Football League
- Runners-up (1): 1997
Records
| Season | Division | Tms. | Pos. | National Cup | NCRFA Tournaments | Monfort Cup | PFF NMCC | UFL Cup | AFC PC | ACC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | Not known | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970/71 | 2 | 18 | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1972–1979 | Not known | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | 1 | 9 | 8th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981/83 | Not known | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | Not known | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985/91 | Not known | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | No national league | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–1994 | No national league | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | 1 | 10 | Not known | — | — | 2nd | — | — | — | — |
| 1996 | No national league | — | — | 2nd | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997 | 1 | 7 | Not known | 3rd | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998 | No national league | — | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999 | 1 | 15 | 3rd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000 | No national league | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001 | No national league | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002 | No national league | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003 | No national league | — | — | — | — | — | — | Group stage | ||
| 2004 | No national league | — | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | No national league | 3rd | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–2007 | No national league | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008 | 1 | 8 | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2009 | No national league | — | — | — | — | 2nd | — | — | ||
| 2010 | 1 | 8 | 5th | — | — | — | — | Semi-finals | — | — |
| 2011 | 1 | 7 | 3rd | — | — | — | — | Round of 16 | — | — |
| 2012 | 1 | 10 | 9th | — | — | — | — | Quarter-finals | — | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 10 | 9th | — | — | — | Round of 16 | Group stage | DNQ | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 9 | 7th | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 10 | 10th (DQ) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–2017 | Did not participate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018 | Did not participate | — | 4th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019 | Did not participate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020 | Did not participate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021-2022 | Did not participate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023 | Did not participate | Group Stage | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024 | 1 | 15 | 14th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
- Key
- Tms. = Number of teams
- Pos. = Position in league
- TBD = To be determined
- DNQ = Did not qualify
Note: Performances of the club indicated here was after the UFL Division 1 is created in 2009.
Continental record
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Score | Agg. / Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ASEAN Club Championship | Group stage | Kingfisher East Bengal | 0–6 | Group D (3rd) |
| BEC Tero Sasana | 0–3 |
See also
References
- ^ Saaid, Hamdan (November 5, 2003). "ASEAN Club Championship 2003 – Match Details". RSSSF. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Olivares, Rick (January 24, 2012). "Air Force FC, Army FC & Navy FC: The strong, the few, and the proud are under siege". Bleacher's Brew. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Miravite, Myke (January 14, 2014). "UFL Preview: Philippine Army's Last Stand". Rappler. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ Miravite, Myke (January 17, 2014). "UFL: Army topples Team Socceroo; Green Archers – Pasargad ends in draw". Rappler. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ Guerrero, Bob (January 17, 2014). "UFL: GAU held by new-look Pasargad, Army merges with GTI and wins". Yahoo! Philippines. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ Murillo, Michael Angelo (August 13, 2015). "JP Voltes earns promotion; UFL Cup KO stage begins". BusinessMirror. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.