HOURS after the PFL semis ended, my friend Cedelf Tupas wrote that the finals would likely be held in Bacolod, Ceres’ own turf. I assumed that a.) it was because Ceres finished as the higher seed between the two and b.) the decision was already made.
Then things got a bit interesting when Global, citing the league’s own rule, wrote a letter to the PFL asserting its right to host the final since it won the semis match featuring the Nos. 1 and 4 teams. The PFL held a meeting and told Global, “hey, didn’t you decline to host the final in a Nov. 29 meeting?”
That’s weird, why would Global Cebu push to host a final hosting if it declined it in the first place? Knowing Global, did the club say, “Let’s play the semis first before we talk about who gets to host the final?
By the way, to those who say that Cebu hasn’t done anything to address the pitch issue since hosting the first PFL match last July 5; this is Cebu City, not Bacolod. Rare has been a weekend that the CCSC hasn’t been in use, whether it’s for the collegiate, high school or elementary level. People in Cebu do get to use this government facility, which is the most utilized facility of its kind in the country, unlike the white elephants.
But everything is moot and academic; the PFL has decided that the final will be in Bacolod (unless, of course, they suddenly change their mind, cite a previous meeting and say it will be in Rizal?) and there are a lot of things the clubs can learn, scheduling-wise from the first season.
All clubs, before the first match of the season even kicks off, should tell the league they intend to host the final. That’s sort of a nice target all season long, eh? That should eliminate any “but you decline to host final” statement from the league.
And who gets to host the final? The higher seed as a reward for a season-long performance. For Global Cebu and the PFL, they should also look at other events in Cebu before plotting their home games. These are the City Olympics (November), Cesafi (September) Ironman and Cesafi opening (first Sunday of August) and the SunStar Cup (third weekend of November). Some roads will be closed for the Ironman and fans will be split during the Cesafi opening, while the rest of the events all use the CCSC.
As for Global in the PFL finals? Good luck and I hope you get to bring home the trophy.