 Cheng in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2024 | Philippines (women) (general manager [lower-alpha 1] ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Jefferson Cheng is a Filipino businessman and football administrator. He is the owner of Philippines Football League club Davao Aguilas and a co-owner of A-League Women side Western Sydney Wanderers. He was the general manager of the Philippines women's national football team which qualified for their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023.
Cheng attended Xavier School where he used to play competitive football as a leftback. He also studied at the University of the Philippines where he graduated with a degree in architecture. [1]
Cheng owns the Davao Aguilas of the Philippines Football League. He is also the co-owner of A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers. [2] [3]
Cheng has also been a sponsor of the Philippines women's national football team since 2017. [4] He was appointed the team manager of the team in 2017. [5] He has been also a co-chair of the Philippine Football Federation Women's Committee. As team manager, he oversaw the national team in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers, as well as the tournament proper held in India. [6] [5] His connections in Australia, led to the hiring of Alen Stajcic as head coach for Philippines' stint in the Asian Cup. Under Stajcic and Cheng, the Philippines ended its campaign as semifinalists and qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup – their first ever World Cup. [5]
In January 2024, it was announced that Cheng was retained as team manager, following John Gutierrez's election as PFF president in November 2023. [7] However in June 2024, Cheng stepped down from the role citing the situation is "not workable" due to "incompatible" and "misalignment" of goals with the current organization. [8] [9] Freddy Gonzales succeeded as interim manager. [10]
Cheng has also been a sponsor of the Philippine youth national team system; from the under-19 to the under-23 team. [11]
Cheng serves as the director of Sabre Sports United and president of the Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions. [12] [13] He has been the director of the International Goalkeeping Academy of Jimmy Fraser. [13] [14]
He also sponsors local youth tournaments in Davao through his company Speed Regalo. [15]
Jefferson Cheng has a son named Enzo who has been a member of the Philippines national under-19 and under-22 national teams. [16]
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is the governing body of association football in the Philippines. Established as the Philippine Amateur Football Association (PAFA) in 1907, the PFF is one of the oldest national football associations in Asia and is among the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The PAFA reorganized as the Philippine Football Association (PFA), and later as the Philippine Football Federation.
The Philippines women's national football team represents the Philippines in international women's association football competitions. It is managed by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the sport's governing body in the country.
Philip James Younghusband Jr. is a former professional footballer who played mostly as a striker and sometimes as a midfielder.
Alen Stajcic is an Australian football manager and former player, and is the current manager of Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League. He was the head coach of the Philippine women's national football team from 2021 to 2023. While as a footballer he was a NSW Premier League player and an Australian Youth Representative.
Marlon Maro is a Filipino football coach and former international football player. He was the head coach of the Philippines women's national football team in 2021.
The Philippines Football League (PFL) is a men's professional football league in the Philippines. Sanctioned by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and organized by Liga Futbol Inc., it is the country's primary football competition. In 2024, it was contested by 15 clubs from April 6 to July 14. The league does not have a system of promotion and relegation. All PFL clubs also take part in the Copa Paulino Alcantara, the annual domestic cup competition.
Mariano "Nonong" V. Araneta, Jr. is a Filipino sports executive, businessman and retired footballer. Araneta formerly played for the Philippines national football team. He was the president of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) from 2010 to 2023 and is currently a member of the FIFA Council since May 2017.
The PFF Women's League (PFFWL) is the top-flight of women's association football in the Philippines.
The 2017 Philippines Football League was the inaugural season of the Philippines Football League (PFL), the professional football league of the Philippines. The league was officially launched on April 21, 2017, at Shangri-La at the Fort in Taguig, while the first match of the season was played on May 6. The PFL replaced the Metro Manila-based United Football League (UFL), which served as the country's de facto top-level football league from 2009 to 2016. The league was made up of 8 clubs: 6 from the UFL and 2 expansion teams. Each club played the others four times, twice at their home ground and twice at that of their opponents', for 28 games. The teams that finished the season in the top four entered a playoff tournament to determine the league's champion.
Davao Aguilas Football Club, 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.
Dylan Alain Lucienne Escalana De Bruycker is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for the Philippines national team.
Julian Mariano Noda Clarino is a Filipino professional footballer who plays as a defender for Illawarra Premier League club Bulli and the Philippines national team.
James Hall, is a former professional footballer who played as a center midfielder. He is a former Philippines national team player. He currently serves as an assistant coach of Philippines Football League club Loyola.
Chandler Blue Isip McDaniel is a footballer who plays as a forward for PFF Women's League club Stallion Laguna. Born in the United States, she represents the Philippines at international level.
Olivia Alexandra Davies Isip McDaniel, is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for PFF Women's League club Stallion Laguna. Born in the United States, she represents the Philippines at international level.
The Philippines women's national football team has qualified to the FIFA Women's World Cup on one occasion, the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. The Women's World Cup is the country's debut at any major FIFA football competition in their history.
Stallion Laguna F.C. is a Filipino professional football club which organizes a women's team. The club plays in the PFF Women's League, the women's domestic national league of the Philippines. It has a men's team, which competes in the Philippines Football League.
Jorrel Zachary Cayanan Aristorenas is a Filipino professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Philippines Football League club Loyola. Born in England, he has also played for the youth teams of the Philippines. He is also an esports player, having represented the country internationally in EA FC.
Uriel Reyes Dalapo is a Filipino professional footballer who plays as a winger for Philippines Football League club Davao Aguilas and the Philippines national team.
