Davao Aguilas Football Club (also known as Davao Aguilas-UMak for sponsorship reasons), abbreviated as DAFC, is a Filipino professional football club based in the city of Tagum, Davao del Norte. The team currently plays in the Philippines Football League, the top-flight league of football in the Philippines.
 | |
| Full name | Davao Aguilas Football Club — UMAK |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Aguilas (The Eagles) |
| Short name | DAFC |
| Founded | March 26, 2017 |
| Ground | Davao del Norte Sports Complex University of Makati Stadium |
| Capacity | 3,000 3,295 |
| Owner | Jefferson Cheng |
| Head coach | Aber Ruzgal |
| League | Philippines Football League |
| 2024 | Philippines Football League, 4th of 15 |
During the time of its participation in the Philippines Football League, the club was the sole Mindanao-based club in the league.[1] It left from the Philippines Football League and was disbanded after the conclusion of the 2018 season, following disagreements regarding supposed successor league to the Philippines Football League. However, the club resumed operations again in July 2020, focusing on youth football development.
History
Establishment and entry to the Philippines Football League
The group behind the Aguilas have expressed their interest to play in the Philippines Football League and submitted their letter of intent before the December 31, 2016 deadline. They were given until the end of January 2017 to complete all licensing requirements.[2]
On February 19, 2017, it was reported that Davao Aguilas FC is joining the Philippines Football League as the sole representative from Mindanao. They conducted tryouts at the Agro pitch in Davao City on February 19, 2017.[1] Though the team's composition is already being organized as early as February 2017, Davao Aguilas lists its foundation date as March 26, 2017.[3] In March 2017, the club participated in the Stallion preseason cup, where Ed Walohan scored their first goal in competitive play.[4]
2017 season
The club hosted an official launch ceremony on March 26, 2017, at the Davao del Norte Sports Complex, their home venue.[5]
By June 2017, the club owners secured a sponsorship deal with the San Miguel Corporation and appended "San Miguel" to their official name.[6] On September 18, with the club cut adrift at 7th place, manager Gary Phillips was sacked and replaced by Marlon Maro. The team finished 7th in the inaugural PFL season.
2018 season
In the 2018 season, the club signed more national and foreign players to bolster the squad. Maro resigned in the middle of the season and was replaced by Melchor Anzures. In September 2018, the club signed a partnership agreement with the Japan-based club Shonan Bellmare, competing in the J.League. The partnership was formed to bolster cooperation between the two clubs, which includes the development of players and coaches, player scouting, academy and marketing. The Davao Aguilas also briefly changed their name to "Davao Aguilas Bellmare Football Club", to signify their partnership.[7]
Davao Aguilas featured in the final of the inaugural Copa Paulino Alcantara where they lost to Kaya-Iloilo due to a solitary goal.
Withdrawal from the Philippines Football League
It was reported on December 14, 2018, that the club has withdrawn from the PFL. Jefferson Cheng iterated continued support for infrastructure and grassroots development in Davao.[8] Cheng has also cited the decision to hire Bernie Sumayao to manage the PFL despite his volunteering to take over the management of the league.[9] However the league's inaugural season in 2017 was cut short and the PFL was reestablished once again.
Davao Aguilas were disbanded but Cheng remained involved in local football, sponsoring the youth tournaments through his company Speed Regalo.[10]
Return to action
In July 2020, Davao Aguilas announced the resumption of operations its youth department.[11] They would join the 7's Football League
Reinforced by players from the University of Makati, Davao Aguilas would take part in the 2023 Copa Paulino Alcantara.[12] From 2024, Davao Aguilas return to Philippines Football League after confirmed on 5 February 2024.
In 2024, Davao Aguilas return to Philippines Football League after confirming its participation on 5 February 2024.
Crest and colors
The colors of the team are blue which represents "loyalty and brilliance" and red which represents "passion and valor". The red stripes symbolize 5 attributes of the club's players (strength, speed, agility and mentality), while the blue stripes symbolize the concepts of fair play, respect, perseverance and integrity. The colors of the club were selected as reportedly as a show of patriotism and derived after the Philippine flag. The bird's head in the crest is that of a Philippine eagle.[4]
Affiliated clubs
Shonan Bellmare (2022–present)[13]
Nusantra United (2024–present)
Players
- As of 6 October 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Personnel
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Aber Ruzgal |
| Assistant coaches | Marlon Pinero Melchor Anzures Ramonito Carreon Ronoel Garfin |
| Goalkeeping coach | Vacant |
| Physiotherapist | John Morado Janus Earl Dacumos Remigio Nigel Ilustre |
Head coaches
| Coach | Nat. | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Melchor Anzures[note 1] | Philippines | February 2017 |
| Gary Phillips |  Australia | February – September 2017 |
| Marlon Maro | Philippines | September 2017 – 29 May 2018 |
| Melchor Anzures | Philippines | 29 May 2018 – 31 December 2018 |
| Aber Ruzgal | Philippines | 2020 – present |
Records
Season by season record
| Season | Division | Season statistics | Copa Paulino Alcantara | Top goalscorer[note 2] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos | Name | Goals | ||||
| 2017 | PFL | 28 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 35 | 56 | -21 | 22 | 7th | — | Harry Sawyer |
10 | |
| 2018 | PFL | 25 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 39 | 3rd | Runners-up | Phil Younghusband |
12 | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Runners-up | Yannick Tuason |
5[note 3] | |
| 2024 | PFL | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 | 15 | 2nd | — |  Ibrahima Ndour |
5 | |
| 2024–25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Ongoing |
|
Notes
- Only includes goals scored in the league.
- Since Davao Aguilas only participated in the Copa Paulino Alcantara this season, the total goals scored are from the 2023 Copa Paulino Alcantara.
References
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