UNITED CITY FC TO OFFICIALLY REPRESENT CENTRAL LUZON FIRST UCFC HOME MATCHES HOSTED IN OCTOBER IN NEW CLARK CITY

CAPAS, TARLAC. Philippines Football League (PFL) defending national champion United City Football Club (UCFC) is set to start hosting its official home matches during the ongoing 2022/23 PFL season at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium from October onwards, bringing excitement and live matches to football fans in Central Luzon.

The UCFC home-premier will be against the Azkals Development Team (ADT) led by former Azkals Captain Stephan Schroeck, on October 22 at 4:00pm at the world-class facility at New Clark City, making it the first professional football game to be held at the venue since it was built in 2019. This will be followed by UCFC hosting Stallion Laguna FC on November 5, with ticket sales for both matches going live this week

Through these matches, UCFC demonstrates its commitment to represent Region III and to raise Central Luzon’s banner on the national football scene. 

“To represent Central Luzon and bring football to the local community is a major step in the development of professional football in the country. Football is all about belonging, therefore our matches need to be played within the community we are representing, which is now Clark in Central Luzon,” stated UCFC President Eric M. Gottschalk in the presence of Philippines Football Federation General Secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes and Central Luzon Football Association President Alvin Yalung, during the signing of the MOU to seal the representation.  “We are proud to have access to the best sports venue in the Philippines when we host our home matches and we look forward to building our community and have our fans attending live matches at this beautiful stadium”. 

Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and Chief Executive Officer Aileen R. Zosa gave her warm welcome to UCFC, and extended BCDA’s commitment to give the best football experience to the teams playing in New Clark City and their fans. 

“World-class sports facilities, safe environment, and stunning views–New Clark City can offer all of these and more. We are excited that UCFC chose New Clark City Athletics Stadium as the venue for its matches, and we hope to bring pride to players who will be coming to play here,” Zosa said.

UCFC (previously known as Ceres Negros) joined the PFL as one of the founding teams of the professional league in 2017 and has since bagged the national championships four times (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020) as well as the Copa Paulino Alcantara 2 times. 

This ongoing PFL Season, which will run until May 2023, UCFC is competing in a quadruple round robin format against six other Club, with the winner to qualify for the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League Group Stage in August next year. Coming off strong performances against main rival Kaya Iloilo FC, UCFC is the favorite to retain its league title this season. During the December - January winter break, UCFC will start setting-up its Clark based youth academy with different activities also scheduled to take place around the football stadium, before UCFC will kick-off regular team appearances in early 2023 with at least 6 more PFL home games scheduled at NCC.  

Certified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the New Clark City Athletics Stadium has a 20,000-seating capacity with a nine-lane 400-meter track and field, and another four-lane warm-up track surrounding a natural grass pitch, suitable to host local, national and international football competitions to the highest PFF, AFC ad FIFA standards.  

The complex was nominated as among the world’s best stadiums in the Stadium of the Year Awards in 2020. The following year, the facility received the Highly Commended recognition from the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in the Completed Buildings - Sport Category, and was also shortlisted for the Engineering Prize of the same competition.

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About UCFC:

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ABOUT UCFC: United City Football Club (UCFC) is a SEC registered Filipino professional football club company that aims to promote and build values such as equality, diversity, leadership through sports. 

UCFC is a member of the Philippines Football League (PFL), the Philippines' professional level of men's club football in the country and the official representative of the Central Luzon football association. UCFC, formerly known as Ceres-Negros before it changed its name in 2020, is currently the 4x defending national champion in the PFL and 2x winner of the Copa Paulino Alcantara. UCFC is also the 2x Philippines representative on the AFC Champions League group stage level (2021,2022), the biggest Asian football tournament.   

As a mission, the Club stands to help re-invigorate young athletes, families, and the local community through discipline, hard work, and passion. The ambition is further set the gold standard for best practices in SE Asia - be it on the football field, or within the community - and to provide a pathway and equal opportunities for the next generation of young talent in their pursuit of sporting & educational excellence.

UCFC is the most followed professional football club in the Philippines and the only club active on all major social media platforms. Its winning tradition and the ability to bring the best Filipino players to play for UCFC has gained the Club the reputation of being the foremost football club form the Philippines with strong reach into South East Asia and beyond

The Club recently announced its move to Central Luzon to start playing its home matches of the PFL at the world class facilities in New Clark City. 

Further, UCFC  has launched a dedicated 3rd playing kit to mark its move to New Clark City which will feature the orange colors of the Athletics stadium as well as permanent New Clark City branding on the right sleeve. The traditional home and away jerseys in black and gold are currently featuring the symbols of the Clark balloon festival. 

Future plans by UCFC evolve around setting-up the Clubs youth football academy and to build its own football-specific stadium

UCFC Logo meaning: 

The UCFC logo was chosen through a public fan voting and designed by Gerard Andaya of Grit Sports. The new UCFC logo features a circular crest not too different from its original identity of  to acknowledge the roots of the club in Bacolod.  With two (2) stars which pay tribute to the origins of the “Ceres–LaSalle” & “Ceres–Negros” heritage. The center of the logo is “Geometric patterned football” to represent that football is at the center of the club’s existence. The symmetry of the ball stands for “Unity & Stability. And the solid outer circle on the other hand symbolizes the solid fans, being the club’s foundation that holds everything together.  

Upcoming matches at New Clark City: 22 October vs ADT at 4:00pm & 5 November vs Stallion Laguna t 4:00pm; Ticket prices: Pesos: 200.00 grandstand; P150.00 Bleachers; Corporate hospitality and advertising opportunities, kindly inquire through the media officer.

Current UCFC Club Partners:

Allianz, New Clark City Chronos Athletics, Mysport, Klean Athlete, Sportskred

PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP WITH SKY NEW ZEALAND FOR 2022 SEASON

NEW YORK (February 24, 2022) - The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, and Sky New Zealand today announced an exclusive broadcast partnership for 2022. Sky Sport will become the exclusive PFL content provider in New Zealand, carrying both the PFL’s inaugural Challenger Series and the 2022 PFL Regular Season, Playoffs, and PFL World Championship.

Additionally, Sky New Zealand will bring MMA fans exclusive PFL content including archival season footage from 2019-2021 and original content from PFL Studios.
 
PFL Women’s Lightweight fighter Genah Fabian, a proud New Zealander, continued making a name for herself during the 2021 PFL Season, qualifying for the 2021 Playoffs after a 2-0-0 record with wins against both Laura Sanchez and Julija Pajic. 
 
Additionally, Women’s Lightweight fighter Michelle Montague will make her PFL debut at the inaugural PFL Challenger Series on March 4. The Kiwi is a former IMMAF champion and will look to earn a 2022 PFL Regular Season contract.
 
“As we look ahead to an event-packed 2022 season for the Professional Fighters League, we are elated to announce our broadcast partnership with Sky in New Zealand,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “Sky is the home of sports and entertainment in New Zealand, and we are eager to deliver MMA fans PFL’s world class content and fighters.”
 
“I’m thrilled that fight fans across the country will have access to world-class fighters and exclusive MMA content on Sky New Zealand in what will be PFL’s biggest season ever,” said Ray Sefo, President of Fighter Operations of PFL. “Genah Fabian and Michelle Montague are two standout talents and I know all of New Zealand will be supporting them when they step into the SmartCage for the upcoming Regular Season and Challenger Series events.”
 
“MMA is a growth sport in Aotearoa New Zealand and has huge appeal to a wide range of fans,” said Adam Crothers, Sky’s Head of Sports Partnerships. “Peter and his team have a bold vision for where they want to take the PFL and it’s exciting for us to be able to share the PFL with Kiwis who keenly follow and admire the extraordinary athletes and personalities who take part in this sport. What’s more, they can do this where they are with Sky Go, Sky Sport Now and through their Sky box.”
 
The deal was spearheaded in conjunction with Athletic Sports Group and its subsidiary Fight Globe, the world's largest combat sports distributor.
 
PFL is the first and only MMA league with a true sports-season format where elite fighters from around the world compete in a Regular Season, Playoffs and Championship. The four competitors in each division who earn the most points advance to the win-or-go-home Playoffs, followed by the biggest night in MMA – the PFL World Championship – with each winner going home with the $1 million prize.
 
Following a breakthrough year that saw 100 percent audience growth, PFL has accelerated its momentum in the early part of 2022 with a multi-year renewal with ESPN, generating widespread buzz around the upcoming Challenger Series on Fubo Sports Network, and adding several leading brands to its blue-chip sponsorship portfolio.
 
Professional Fighters League is the No. 2 MMA company globally and features an elite talent roster with 25 percent of its fighters independently ranked in the top-25 of the world, including 2021 PFL champions Ray Cooper III and Movlid Khaybulaev. PFL has live event coverage in 160 countries on leading distribution platforms and delivers a unique, innovative product to the more than 600 million MMA fans globally.
 
About Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the fastest growing and most innovative sports league.  PFL is the #2 MMA company worldwide and the only with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship. 
 
PFL is primetime in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and was broadcast and streamed live worldwide last year to 160 countries with partners including RMC Sport, FPT, Sky Sport, and more. The PFL roster is world-class, with 25% of PFL fighters independently ranked in the top 25 in the world. The PFL proprietary SmartCage data and analytics platform powers real-time betting and provides next-gen viewing experience.  
 
PFL has over two-dozen blue-chip brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, IBM, GEICO, DraftKings, Bose, Socios.com, Air Force Reserve, US Marine Corps, and more. PFL is backed by major investors including Ares Capital, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Swan Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and several NBA, MLB, and NHL team owners. 
 
MMA is the growth sport of this decade, with 600 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demo of any sport, and true global revenue streams. 
 
PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma)
 
About Sky New Zealand
Sky is New Zealand’s leading entertainment company and home to the best and broadest choice in live sport, movies, shows, documentaries, and breaking news. Sky offers a suite of viewing choices to suit every New Zealander, whether it’s through the Sky Box and companion app Sky Go for premium direct-to-home customers, or through its streaming services Sky Sport Now for sport or Neon for movies and entertainment. Sky also owns free-to-air channel, Prime. Unique New Zealand stories and free-to-air sport are a strong part of Prime’s line-up.

UNITED CITY FC ANNOUNCES FIRST BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP - GRAVITY SPORT ADDS UCFC TO ITS GROWING SPONSORSHIP PORTFOLIO

4 November 2021 - Manila, Philippines:

United City Football Club (UCFC) announces Gravity Sport as its official blockchain partner in another landmark sponsorship deal for an Asian football club.

UCFC becomes the first Asian football club entering into a fully executed commercial & technology partnership with Gravity Sport. This consumer-focused universal blockchain solution enables sports teams to build & monetize content, data security, and entertainment in a custom-built digital asset ecosystem. Gravity Sport has previously signed a partnership with Italian side Parma Calcio.

With the rise of blockchain, NFTs, and metaverse in the country, UCFC is positive that this partnership will pave the future of football and how fans will have ownership of the club's collectibles and put a new meaning to tokenization.

"We are proud to have reached another milestone in our vision of how we think Club football not only in the Philippines shall evolve over time, and we would like to thank Gravity Sport for its vision to see the potential in partnering with UCFC as well as Orchid Sport & Entertainment, which helped us to complete the deal." States Eric M. Gottschalk, President of UCFC.

"We will be the first regional football club to integrate blockchain into its operations from merchandise, membership, data analysis & security. Therefore, it allows our fans to get closer to the players through our dedicated fan tokens and exclusive NFTs, which will be launched ahead of the 2022 season".

Through the Gravity Sport blockchain technology and NFT marketplace, United City will be able to create innovative fan-owned assets such as exclusive digital player cards, including interviews, match highlights, and goals scored. Such assets can be obtained using the unique UCFC fan tokens and can be traded among fans.
"The partnership with Gravity Sport and the use of blockchain technology will allow UCFC to make another step forward in unlocking new revenue streams and to become a sustainable football business that does not rely purely on match-day revenues or sponsorship income alone," states Gottschalk.

Also, it will connect to new global audiences with mass adoption, delivering next-generation adoption & future-proofing engagement.

As a digital economy enabler, Gravity Sport commercializes, hosts & operates the complete platform in partnership with the rights holder.

"Gravity Sport is tremendously proud to add United City FC to its growing portfolio of international sports properties, following our jersey partnership with Parma Calcio in August, "commented Stuart Gallacher, Founder at Gravity Sport.

"The Philippines is a very interesting market for us as the country is poised to reach new economic heights in the near future while its young, tech-savvy population is naturally equipped to easily grow into the new area of "blockchain technology".

"And just like us, UCFC is fast evolving, has a clear, futuristic vision while displaying strong values which assures that our ambitions are closely aligned. We are excited to innovate jointly with UCFC as we believe we have an incredibly exciting global blockchain NFT marketplace which will benefit all stakeholders, players, media, and of course the strong fan audiences that UCFC already has."

The Gravity Sport partnership is extended across all the UCFC football and esports properties, and while effective immediately, it will fully kick off early next year alongside the 2022 season.

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ABOUT UCFC: United City Football Club (UCFC) is a SEC registered Filipino Professional Football Club that aims to promote and build values such as equality, diversity, leadership through sports.

UCFC is a member of the Philippines Football League (PFL), the Philippines' professional level of men's club football in the country. The Club is currently the 4x defending national champion in the PFL and the first Philippine team to qualify and to win a match on the AFC Champions League level when the team featured against Beijing FC during the AFC Champions League Group stages in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

As a mission, the Club stands to help re-invigorate young athletes, families, and the local community through discipline, hard work, and passion. The ambition is to be the best of the best in Asia - be it on the football field, esports, or within the community - and provide a pathway and equal opportunities for the next generation of young talent in their pursuit of sporting & educational excellence.

The Club recently announced its move to the Pampanga / Tarlac region, where it plans to set up its youth football academy in Clark City and to and build its football stadium while making use of the already existing stadium facilities in New Clark City in the meantime.

As part of the move, United City FC will be renamed to United Clark FC by the end of 2021, while its Esports division will simply be called UCFC Esports.

The UCFC Esports division was successfully launched in June 2021 and currently features three professional teams participating in titles such as Valorant, League of Legends: Wild Rift as well as E-football (PES / FIFA), with more teams such as "Mobile Legends" etc. to be added in 2022.