This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2018) |
The Puerto Rican Football Federation (Spanish: Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol) is the governing body of association football in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1940 and became affiliated to FIFA in 1960, one of the last to do so in the Western Hemisphere. It governs over all football on the island, including the Puerto Rico national football team, the amateur Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico, the scheduled Liga Profesional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico, as well as the Puerto Rico FC who played in the North American Soccer League.
| CONCACAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1940 |
| Headquarters | San Juan |
| FIFA affiliation | 1960 |
| CONCACAF affiliation | 1964[1] |
| President | Iván Rivera |
| Website | fedefutbolpr.com |
History
editOwing to its unique status in relation to the United States of America, the governance of football on Puerto Rico has been different from the traditional format. On May 14, 2008, the federation announced the creation of the Puerto Rico Soccer League, the first unified league in the history of the island's football,[2] although it folded in 2011. In recent years the Federation has attempted to overhaul the island's historic underperformance in football, which has been helped by the co-operation from a number of established club teams from around the world, who are keen to build up a base in Puerto Rico.
On March 9, 2015, the executive committee of the Puerto Rican Football Federation (FPF) approved a resolution specifying that in Puerto Rico there will be only one division league, before then the FPF statutes had allowed for more than one first division league.[3]
National Teams
editPuerto Rico men's national football team
editThe Puerto Rico men's national team played their first international match in 1940 against Cuba. Héctor Pito Ramos is the team's all time goalscorer and cap leader having last played in 2019. As of May 2024, The national team has still never qualified for a World Cup or Gold Cup entry.
The team had recently won their group in the 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League C gaining a promotion to Nations League B the following year, and gained entry for the 2023 Gold Cup qualifiers but was shortly eliminated soon after.
Puerto Rico women's national football team
editYouth national teams
editPuerto Rican Football Federation oversees and promotes the development of few youth national teams:
Professional Leagues
editDespite a very short history of professional football in the country, Puerto Rico has struggled to build and sustain a domestic football league. They have gone through many different iterations, finally landing on the Liga Puerto Rico that was founded in 2018.
Men
editThe Liga Puerto Rico (LPR) is the top division of football on the island of Puerto Rico. Its teams range widely in financial status with some able to pay semi-pro wages and others made up entirely of amateurs. The winner of the league earns a berth in the following CFU Club Championship.
Organization
editMembers of the Puerto Rican Football Federation
editFPF recognizes the following members:
Professional Council
editCurrent Staff and Past Presidents
edit
|
Past Presidents of FPF
|
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Jamaica get 1966 soccer tourney". Kingston Gleaner. 2 April 1964.
- ^ "Nace liga de fútbol profesional en Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 17, 2008.
- ^ Jusino, Edwin. "A re-organizarse el fútbol mayor de Puerto Rico | FutbolBoricua.net".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "FIFA". www.fifa.com.
- ^ a b "PUERTO RICO". Concacaf. 2021-03-07. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "Quiénes somos – Noticias – Ex alumno del FIFA/CIES, Presidente de la Federación de Puerto Rico". www.fifa.com.
External links
edit- Official website (in Spanish)
- Puerto Rico at the FIFA website
- Puerto Rico at CONCACAF site