Kaya F.C.–Iloilo

Kaya Futbol Club–Iloilo (), or simply Kaya–Iloilo, is a Filipino professional football club based in Iloilo City. They currently play in the Philippines Football League, the highest tier of football in the Philippines.

The club has won 3 league titles, 3 Copa Paulino Alcantara, and 1 United Football League Cup. Continentally, they have also competed in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup.

Founded in 1996 as Kaya Futbol Club in Makati, the club's name comes from the Filipino word ''káya'' ("we can"). While in Old Tagalog, the word is defined as ''susi ng kapatiran'' ("key to brotherhood"). Both of these definitions provide the basis for Kaya's team spirit and vision. The club was a founding member of the United Football League (UFL)—the '' de facto'' top-level league of Philippine football at the time. They played in the UFL throughout its existence from 2010 to 2016. In 2017, the club changed its name to Kaya–Makati upon joining the PFL, the official top flight of Philippine football. In 2018, they relocated to Iloilo City and changed their name accordingly.

History

Kaya Futbol Club traces its origins to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when men played football in a wooden basketball court at the old Makati campus of the International School Manila (ISM) in present-day Century City, Makati.

In July 1996, Kaya FC was officially established by Chris Hagedorn, ISM football coach Bob Kovach, and former national team players Rudy del Rosario, and John-Rey "Lupoy" Bela-ong. Chris Hagedorn once pointed out that the name "Kaya" is derived from the Filipino word for "can do it" or "we can". Kaya co-founder Rudy del Rosario points to the lyrics of Bob Marley's song ''Kaya'', when asked about the origin of the club's name.

The club began to join outdoor 7-a-side football tournaments playing against other teams, frequently making podium-finishes in these competitions.

In the late 1990s, Kaya participated in official and more challenging 11-a-side football tournaments organized by the National Capital Region Football Association. In the early 2000s, the club played in numerous competitions like the Globe Super Cup. In 2002, the club played in the first incarnation of the United Football League. In 2003, Kaya were crowned national champions after defeating Philippine Navy 2–1.

Between 2000 and 2009, Kaya defeated the Philippine Armed Forces clubs in two separate championship matches and was the champion of the old incarnation of the United Football League (UFL) on three occasions. The club was eventually recognized as one of the only club teams capable of defeating the "big three", composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy football clubs.

Before the club participated in the inaugural UFL Cup in 2009, the CEO of LBC Express Santiago Araneta began investing on the club, helping Kaya to become one of the finest clubs in the Philippines.

United Football League (2010–2016)

2010 season

After placing in the top two of their group in the first ever UFL Cup in October 2009, Kaya was placed in the first division for the inaugural United Football League competition.

In the inaugural season of the United Football League, Kaya finished second, behind league champions Philippine Air Force. The club had a final record of 28 points (9 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in 14 games). The runner-up finish is Kaya's best finish in the league, which was replicated by the team in the 2012 season.

2011 season

Kaya withdrew from this season's UFL Cup because almost all of the team's players, including Spanish head coach Juan Cutillas, left to join a newly formed team. As a result, the club was fined ₱200,000

The club then hired Rudy del Rosario, who worked with Maikee Carrion and Philip Zemen, as assistants, to rebuild the team in time for the UFL league. The club went on to finish fourth in the league competition after collecting 17 points (5 wins, 2 draws, and 5 losses in 12 games).

2012 season

This season's UFL Cup saw the beginning of the fierce rivalry between Kaya and the Loyola Meralco Sparks. After placing top of their group with an unbeaten record, Kaya defeated Team Socceroo 2–0 in the round of sixteen. Kaya then defeated the Manila Nomads 3–0 in the quarterfinals, setting up a showdown with the Loyola Meralco Sparks in the semi-finals. Kaya lead the game 3–0, but a resilient Loyola Meralco Sparks club managed to make an exciting comeback, finishing the game at 4–5 to the Sparks. With the loss, Kaya was placed in a third-place match with Global, losing 2–1.

Before the beginning of the league competition, Spanish head coach Juan Cutillas left the club. He was replaced by Filipino coach Michael Alvarez as the interim head coach of the club.

The 2012 league competition saw one of Kaya's best finishes to date, finishing runners-up to champions Global. The two clubs finished with the same record (42 points with 13 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses in 18 games). The championship was then decided on goal-difference, with Global having a +32 GD and Kaya with +13 GD. With the runners-up finish, Kaya missed out on qualifying for the 2013 AFC President's Cup.

2013 season

Kaya joined its first PFF National Men's Club Championship. In the round of sixteen, they defeated M'lang 5–0 in Koronadal. The club beat rivals Loyola Meralco Sparks 1–0 in the quarterfinals, before falling to eventual champions Ceres 3–1 in the semi-finals. In the third-place match, Kaya defeated Green Archers United 2–0.

In the UFL Cup, Kaya finished the group stages in second place, behind Green Archers United on goal difference. They were defeated by Global 2–1 at extra time in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Michael Alvarez stepped down as head coach in December 2012 and he was replaced by Uruguayan coach Maor Rozen.

Kaya finished fourth in the league competition with 31 points (8 wins, 7 draws, and 3 losses in 18 games), 15 points from champions Stallion. In the middle of the league, head coach Maor Rozen resigned after just three matches in charge. The club's goalkeeping coach Melo Sabacan took over the reins as interim head coach, and was subsequently replaced by Australian coach David Perković.

2014 season

The club saw minimal success in this season's UFL Cup. Kaya finished second in their group, behind UFL Division 2 side Union Internacional Manila. They then lost to recently relegated Philippine Air Force 1–0 in the round of sixteen.

The league competition saw Kaya finish third with 46 points (14 wins, 4 draws, and 6 losses in 24 games), 3 points behind rivals Loyola Meralco Sparks and 16 points behind league champions Global. Before the season ended, head coach David Perković announced that he will not be renewing his contract with the club and that his last match will be the derby between Kaya and the Loyola Meralco Sparks.

In the UFL FA Cup, the culmination competition of the season, Kaya were beaten 3–1 by Global in the finals. Thomas Taylor was the competition's top goal-scorer with five goals.

2015 season

In the pre-season, it was announced by the club that American head coach, Adam Reekie will replace David Perković as the club's new head coach.

Kaya failed to get past the group stages of the PFF National Men's Club Championship, but were able to top their group in the inaugural UFL FA League Cup. The club fell to rivals Loyola Meralco Sparks 2–1 in the quarterfinals. Louis Max Clark was named as one of the competition's top goal-scorers with 10 goals in 7 games.

The club finished fourth in the league with 31 points (10 wins, 1 draw, 6 losses in 17 games),12 points behind champions Ceres. In the middle of the league competition, head coach Adam Reekie announced his resignation. In June 2015, former Kaya player Fabien Lewis was appointed by the club as interim head coach.

With the eventual departure of Fabien Lewis, Kaya player Chris Greatwich became the club's interim head coach during the UFL Cup. Kaya finished the group stages at the top of the table. The club defeated the Manila Nomads 10–1 in the round of sixteen, and then defeated JP Voltes 8–0 in the quarterfinals. In their semi-final clash against Stallion, Kaya came from behind three times to put the game at 3–3 at extra time. Kaya won the game 5–4 in penalties after goalkeeper Nick O'Donnell denied Ian Araneta, bringing Kaya to its first UFL Cup finals appearance. The final was held on August 28, 2015. The game went to penalties after the game finished at 2–2 at extra time. Nick O'Donnel denied Ceres twice and Louis Clark slotted in the winning penalty to give Kaya a 4–2 win in the penalty shootout and the club's first major silverware. With the championship win, Kaya qualified for a play-off spot in the 2016 AFC Cup, the club's first international competition in history. Striker Tishan Hanley was given the golden boot for his 15 goals in the UFL Cup.

2016 season

Kaya officially celebrates their 20th founding anniversary this season.

During pre-season, it was announced by the club that Kaya Academy Director and former Philippine Azkal and Kaya player Chris Greatwich has been officially appointed as the club's new head coach.

Before the 2016 AFC Cup draw in December 2015, it was announced that Kaya would be given a direct berth to the group stages of the AFC Cup instead of having to play in a play-off match. This was the result of FIFA's suspension of Indonesia's football association, effectively freeing up slots in the group stages.

On 23 February 2016, Kaya played their maiden AFC Cup game against Hong Kong Premier League side Kitchee in Hong Kong, where they lost 1–0. On 8 March 2016, Kaya earned their first three points in an international competition with their dramatic 1–0 win against the Maldives' New Radiant in Manila. The win marks many milestones in the club's 20-year history, including their first points, first win, and first home game in an international competition. A week after their famous victory, Kaya defeated S.League side Balestier Khalsa 1–0 at home. The win marks the first time a Filipino football club won more than once in the group stages of the AFC Cup. On 12 April 2016, Kaya once again defeated Balestier Khalsa 3–0 in Singapore. The historical result marks the club's first ever win away from home and also first points earned away from home in an international competition.

Philippines Football League (2017–present)

New league and new home

In November 2016, after the Philippines Football League (PFL) was established as the country's new top-tier league, Kaya confirmed their participation in the PFL's inaugural season (2017). Kaya adopted the name Kaya–Makati and used the University of Makati Stadium, with a seating capacity of 4,000, as their home ground. For the inaugural season, Kaya finished third in the regular season and lost to Ceres-Negros in the semi-final of the Finals series.

In January 2018, it was reported that Kaya planned to move its home venue to the Iloilo Sports Complex in La Paz, Iloilo City. On 6 February 2018, Kaya transferred from Makati to Iloilo with the signing of a memorandum of agreement between club officials and the provincial government of Iloilo. The team changed their name to Kaya–Iloilo.

Kaya later secured a return to Asian club football after it won over the Davao Aguilas in the final of the 2018 Copa Paulino Alcantara and qualified for the 2019 AFC Cup.

In the 2020 season, Kaya finished undefeated in the shortened season with 3 wins and 2 draws. In their final league match, they ended the two-year unbeaten run of their rivals United City (formerly Ceres).

In 2021, club won their second Copa Paulino Alcantara.

In the 2022–23 season, Kaya won their first PFL title, which was also their first-ever league title. Meanwhile, their rivals United City, whom they finished runners-up to in the previous three seasons, withdrew from the PFL mid-season thus seeing the club qualified to the 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage.

AFC Champions League debut

On 23 June 2021, Kaya defeated Chinese side, Shanghai Port 1–0 in the 2021 AFC Champions League play-off round where Audie Menzi scored in the 17th minute to send Kaya to the AFC Champions League group stage for the first time but were winless in the group stage where they were placed in Group F with Korean giants, Ulsan Hyundai, Thailand 2020–21 league champions, BG Pathum United and Vietnam 2020 league champions, Viettel. Nonetheless, Marwin Angeles became the first player from a Filipino club to score in the AFC Champions League.

On 20 June 2024, AFC confirmed that Kaya will participate in the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two tournament and will also compete in the recently revived 2024–25 ASEAN Club Championship region tournament. Kaya were then drawn in a group alongside Vietnamese club Công An Hà Nội, Singaporean club Lion City Sailors, Malaysian club Kuala Lumpur City, Thailand club Buriram United and Indonesian club Borneo Samarinda.

On 28 November 2024, during an AFC Champions League Two match, Kaya made history after drawing 1–1 at home against J1 League club Sanfrecce Hiroshima, ending the Japanese club's four game winning streak in the group stage. Shuto Komaki scored in the 18th minute for the team.

Stadium

The football stadium of the Iloilo Sports Complex in Iloilo City is Kaya–Iloilo's designated home venue for the Philippines Football League since 2018. By 2022, the club has been considering the Campo Alcantara Football Stadium in Pavia in Iloilo province. The stadium was under construction as early as 2020.

When the club was briefly known as the Kaya–Makati, it played its home matches at the football stadium of the University of Makati in what was then part of the city of Makati for the inaugural 2017 PFL season.

Crest and colors

The colors of Kaya's crest (red, green, yellow and black) are mainly based on the pan-African colors that are associated with Rastafari. This is due to the heavy influence of Reggae on the club's founding members' lives.
The 31 stars on the crest is a tribute to club co-founder John-Rey "Lupoy" Bela-ong, with each star signifying every year of his life. Bela-ong died at the age of 31 in 2002, when he was stabbed to death while exiting a bus in Quezon City. At that time, he was carrying the material for Kaya's team uniforms, which were then stolen by his killers.

In 2017, Kaya launched their new logos, with the only major changes being the words "Makati City" instead of the club's founding year put on the bottom of the crest. The team's founding year, 1996, has instead been put inside the ball of the crest, also at the bottom. When the club transferred to Iloilo City, the logo had a minor revision with the text "Makati City" changed to "Iloilo", the new home province of the club.

Sponsors

*¹ Major shirt sponsor ''(names located at the front of the shirt)''.
*² Secondary sponsor ''(names mostly located at the back of the shirt)''.

Support and rivalries

The Ultras Kaya, also known as the ''Sons of Mighty Kaya'', was the official supporters group of Kaya and were the pioneers of ultras culture in the Philippine football scene. The group was established in 2011 when one of the members of the Don Bosco United Futsal Club Supporters or the ''Futsaldiers'' teamed up with two members of the ''Kaholeros'' (one of the Philippine Azkals' supporters group). The group was recognized by the club as its official supporters group soon after. The Ultras Kaya make their presence in the upper-left side of the Rizal Memorial Stadium's grandstand, in the section referred to as "The Terraces".

After years of inactivity due to internal struggles, The Sons of Mighty Kaya have announced that they will be active again for the 2024 PFL Season. The ''capos'' of SOMK have vowed to "rectify their errors and rebuild the Ultras Kaya." They have been actively seeking new recruits from the Kaya community, which they have dubbed Barrio Kaya.

Rivalries

When Kaya was still based in Manila, the club had rivalries with a number of teams in the UFL. In 2010, they had a fierce rivalry with Union Internacional Manila, but since the club decided to be voluntarily relegated to the UFL Division 2, this rivalry has mostly died out. Since 2011, Kaya held a rivalry with National Capital Region neighbors Loyola Meralco Sparks, with Kaya hailing from the city of Makati in the south of Metro Manila and Loyola Meralco Sparks being based in Quezon City in the north. The rivalry began in the 2011 UFL Cup semi-finals clash between the two teams, in which Kaya went up to lead the game by 3–0 only to lose by the score of 5–4 after a comeback from the Sparks. Since then, the UFL has had some of its highest attendance numbers whenever there are match-ups between the two teams, making the rivalry the most famous derby in Philippine club football.

This rivalry continued into the first season of the newly founded Philippines Football League. However, after the first season of the PFL concluded, Meralco withdrew from the league, effectively ending the rivalry between the two clubs.
After the Kaya–Meralco rivalry, a new rivalry emerged with Ceres–Negros (later renamed United City), up until the latter withdrew in the middle of the 2022–23 PFL season due to "investor issues". The rivalry was created after the two clubs established themselves as the early powerhouses of the league.

Players

Club officials

Management

List of coaches

Honors

League

* Philippines Football League
** Winners: 2022–23, 2024, 2024–25
** ''Runners-up:'' 2018, 2019, 2020
* United Football League Division 1
** ''Runners-up:'' 2010, 2012

Cups

* Copa Paulino Alcantara
** Winners: 2018, 2021, 2023
** ''Runners-up:'' 2019, 2022
* Philippines National Championship
** Winners: 2003
* UFL Cup
** Winners: 2015
* UFL FA Cup
** ''Runners-up:'' 2014

Records

Continental record

''All results (away, home and aggregate) list Kaya–Iloilo's goal tally first.''

AFC club ranking

Performance in AFC competitions

* AFC Champions League/AFC Champions League Elite: 3 appearances
::2021: Group stage
::2022: Preliminary round
:: 2023–24: Group stage

* AFC Cup/AFC Champions League Two: 5 appearances
::2016: Round of 16
::2019: Group stage
::2020: ''Canceled''
::2022: Group stage
:: 2024–25: Group stage

Kaya F.C. Women

The Kaya F.C. women's team was founded in 2019. The seven-a-side team competed in the inaugural season of the 7's Football League Women's Division, where they finished runners-up.

Notes

References

External links

*
Kaya FC Latest Results
– latest Kaya FC scores

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaya FC
Kaya FC
Kaya FC
Association football clubs established in 1996
1996 establishments in the Philippines
Sport in Makati
Sport in Iloilo City