Draft:Zamboanga Football League

Zamboanga Football League is the top-tier domestic football league competition in Zamboanga which is sanctioned by the local football association ZAMBASULTA RFA.

History
The Zamboanga Football League is Zamboanga City's top-tier domestic football league, sanctioned by the local football association ZAMBASULTA RFA (formerly known as the Zamboanga Football Association or ZAFA). The league was founded in 2017 by Dr. Pompeyo F. Torres III and his former Alia FC teammate Hashim Aquilan, with five (5) local clubs competing in its first season. The inaugural season used a single round-robin format, and the league currently lacks a promotion and relegation system, though this is expected to change as the league grows.

Origin
Dr. Pompeyo F. Torres III, then an Alia FC player, and his former teammate Hashim Aquilan founded the league in the hopes of raising the level of local football competition by providing Zamboanga Football with a long-term competition structure. The lack of a competition structure inspired the two former teammates to establish an annual football league in which rival local football clubs, including Alia FC, can compete and demonstrate their football prowess.

The league's historic first meeting was attended by several notable figures in Zamboanga football, including the current General Secretary of the ZAMBASULTA RFA Atty. Wendell Sotto, ZFL Founder Dr. Pompeyo F. Torres III, ZFL Co-Founder Hashim Aquilan, Head of Referees William Filoteo, PFF Certified Referee TJ Filoteo, Coach Ray Marzan of Redcorals United, the late Coach Nonong Coscolluela of Resto Del Mundo FC, and the legendary former National Men's Football Team player Hermes Landingin Manuel.

Inaugural Season
The Zamboanga Football League's debut season featured five local football clubs. Because the Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Stadium and other football pitches in the city were unavailable at the time, the league was forced to open in a much smaller venue, the Immaculate Conception Elementary School, where a single round-robin nine-a-side football competition was held. The five local clubs who competed in the inaugural season were Redcorals United FC, Alia FC, Resto Del Mundo FC, Zamboanga United, and the eventual inaugural champions, Allian FC, led by Coach Salih Allian and Assistant Coach Raffy Narvaez.

Revival
Unfortunately, due to the unavailability of a playing venue in 2018, the league was forced to suspend operations and fold the year after its inaugural season. Although there were plans to reopen after a failed attempt in 2019, the pandemic's surge in 2020 hampered progress. As a result, the organizers were forced to postpone an additional two seasons. However, the successful rehabilitation of the Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Stadium in 2022, which now boasts an international standard artificial football turf, as well as the lifting of several strict health protocols, have enabled the PUK Sports Group to plan and revive the league for 2023.

2024 ZFL Clubs
Nine clubs joined the ZFL for 2024 edition.