Kaya F.C.

Kaya

Full name	Kaya Futbol Club
Founded	1996 (1996)
Owner	Santiago Araneta
Head Coach	Chris Greatwich
League	United Football League
2015	UFL Division 1, 4th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Kaya Futbol Club is a Filipino professional association football club based in Makati City in the National Capital Region. They are currently playing in the United Football League, the highest level of club football in the Philippines.

The name of the club comes from the Filipino word káya, which means "we can". In Old Tagalog, the word is closely defined as susi ng kapatiran (key to brotherhood). Both of these definitions provide the basis for Kaya FC's team spirit and vision as a club.^[1] The club is owned by Santiago Araneta, the CEO and the owner of LBC Express. The club's main rival is the Loyola Meralco Sparks.

Kaya had their first major success in 2015, when they won the United Football League Cup.

History

In the late 1980s, one evening a week, players of all ages and from different backgrounds would get together on a basketball court for indoor football. The enjoyment of the weekly practices grew and the players' skill improved rapidly. They began to join outdoor 7-a-side football tournaments playing against different teams. Frequently the Kaya team members found themselves on the winner’s podium receiving medals and trophies.

After a few years and multiple awards, they realized that many of their teammates were some of the best in the country and the team needed to set a foundation. The name Kaya Football Club was then created in July 1996 and the beginning of the Kaya leadership on and off the field for football in the NCR and the Philippines became more prominent.

In the late 1990s Kaya FC participated in official and more challenging 11-a-side football tournaments organized by the National Capital Region Football Association. The team 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.

Between 2000 and 2009 Kaya FC defeated the armed forces teams in two separate championships and was the Champion of the United Football League (UFL) on three occasions (2009 the UFL became the LBC-UFL and invited the armed forces to join the league wherein Kaya FC placed 2nd).

In the last few years a number of Kaya FC players represented the Philippines in international tournaments. ^[2]

Image and Fanbase

The colors of Kaya's badge, red, green, yellow and black, are mainly based on the pan-African colors that are associated with rastafarianism. This is mainly due to the heavy influence of Reggae on the club's founding members lives.^[3] Even the club's name, aside from its original Filipino meaning, is also derived from a famous Filipino reggae song from the Filipino band Pinikpikan.

Kaya boasts of having the most fans in the UFL. The Ultras Kaya or Sons of Mighty Kaya, the most popular supporters group in the Philippines, are viewed as the pioneers in ultras culture in the Philippines and are known for their loud and fierce support of the club.

Kaya has 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 has held a rivalry with National Capital Region neighbors Loyola Meralco Sparks, with Kaya haling 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 4–5 after an enthralling 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.

First team squad

As of 14 February 2016^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Matt Acton 3 DF Julian Matthews 4 MF Masanari Omura 5 DF Junior Muñoz 6 MF Miguel Tanton 7 FW Louis Max Clark 8 MF Anton Ugarte 9 MF Kenshiro Daniels 10 FW OJ Porteria 11 DF Alexander Borromeo (captain) 12 MF Sean Kane

No. Position Player 13 FW Janrick Soriano 14 MF Dominic del Rosario 16 DF Alfred Osei 17 FW Robert Lopez Mendy 18 MF Carlo Liay 19 MF Jovin Bedic 23 MF Charlie Beaton 24 GK Isaac Annan 25 MF Christopher Greatwich 27 DF Shirmar Felongco

Reserve Team (Kaya F.C. Elite)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player -- Isaac Achaempong -- Filsan Akut -- Zach Banzon -- Ged Poe -- Alex Hegenscheidt -- Xavi Zubiri -- Enrique Posas -- Paulo Intia -- Elijah Dapog

No. Position Player -- Rafa Inigo -- Evans Bondzie -- Lui Clavano -- Joaquin Mathay -- Tashan Veal -- Callistus Udah -- Carl See -- Carlos Magsadia -- Victor Edikan

Coaching staff

Position	Name	Nationality	College
Manager	Christopher Greatwich	Philippines	Hartwick College
Assistant Manager	Jaypee Mérida	Philippines	ADMU
Goalkeeping Coach	Melo Sabacan	Philippines	Philippine Navy
Physical Therapist	Audrey Mariano	Philippines	UST
Physical Therapist	Abigail Espiritu	Philippines	UST
Physical Therapist	Katherine Soriano	Philippines	UST
Conditioning Coach	Juan Miguel Savellano	Philippines	UST

Manager

Dates	Name
1996–2002	Bob Kovach
2011–2012	Juan Cutillas
2012	Michael Alvarez
2012–2013	Maor Rozen
2013	Melo Sabacan
2013–2014	David Perković
2014–2015	Adam Reekie
2015	Fabien Larry Lewis
2015–present	Chris Greatwich

Sponsors

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

Records

Key

• Tms. = Number of teams
• Pos. = Position in league
• TBD = To be determined
• DNQ = Did not qualify

Note: Performances of the club indicated here was after the UFL created (as a semi-pro league) in 2009.

Honors

• United Football League Division 1
  • Runners-up (2): 2010, 2012
• UFL Cup
  • Champions: 2015
• UFL FA Cup
  • Runners-up: 2014
• PFF National Men's Club Championship

• Third place (1): 2013

• Adidas Football Festival

– Champions: 1996

• Chines-Pilipino League
• Soccer Ventures Football Festival
• Nomads International 6-Aside
• Alaska Cup

– Champions: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2009

• NCRFA Summer League Division 1
• NCRFA League Division
• NCRFA League Division 1
• Chris Monfort Cup
• Adidas National Lighting Cup
• PFF 7-Aside Cup
• PLDT 7-Aside Cup
• UCFA 6-Aside Cup
• Kia Cup

References

External links

• Official website