MANILA, Philippines - For those Pinoys who want action sports, American Football (Tackle Football) is the right sport for you and it’s here, where homegrown athletes display their speed and strength on field. Today, November 5, 2017, Philippine-American Football League (PAFL) held its semifinals at the Circuit Makati, Blue Pitch.

American Football in Philippines: Wolves face Cavemen in the Finals

Caption: Watch the Wolves maintain their immaculate season record against the Cavemen on November 19. Photo Credit: Philippine-American Football League
PAFL’s 2nd season started last August with 5 teams namely: Wolves, Cavemen, Datu, Olongapo Warriors and Juggernauts. After three months of hard-hitting and action-packed games, the Wolves will be facing the Cavemen in the finals on November 19. Earlier, the Cavemen ousted Datu in the first game and the Wolves crushed Olongapo Warriors in the second game.

League-leaders Wolves swept the season with an unblemished 4-0 record while Cavemen finished the elimination round with 3-1. Third-seeded Datu had 2 wins and 2 losses while the Olongapo Warriors made it to the fourth place with 1-3. Winless and last placer Juggernauts didn’t make to the playoffs but will certainly bounce back in the next season.

American Football captured the interests of the Filipino sports enthusiasts couple of years ago where Sports 5 televised Super Bowl 48 live on TV. Prior to Super Bowl 48, local media hyped-up Filipino-American Doug Baldwin for his patriotic gestures and waving the Philippine flag upside down as a support to the super typhoon Yolanda victims. Baldwin was also part of the Super Bowl 48 champions, Seattle Seahawks.

Two years after, another Filipino-American football player became the headline of local sports news. Rain Or Shine and Gilas Pilipinas’ Gabe Norwood’s younger brother, Jordan played for Super Bowl 50 champions Denver Broncos against the Carolina Panthers.

American Football has been in the country for almost a decade now. The Philippines also competed in the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Qualifiers in 2014 against Asian powerhouse team Japan. Aguilas Pilipinas lost the game but made it to the IFAF World Rankings at the 36th spot.

One proof that the sport is thriving and gaining popularity here in the Philippines is ESPN 5’s airing of live NFL games every Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings.

To know more about American Football in the Philippines, visit their website: https://www.pafl.ph/ and Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineAmericanFootballLeague/.

— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express

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