Philippine women’s national football team stalwart Hali Long will be heading to a new team after spending seven years with Kaya FC-Iloilo.
New horizons await Filipinas skipper Hali Long following her exit from local club Kaya FC.
Long, who is the most capped Filipinas player, had been with Kaya FC for most of her national team career, playing seven years with the Iloilo City-based team in the PFF Women's League and other competitions.
The 30-year-old joined Kaya FC fresh from her collegiate career with the Little Rock Trojans in University of Arkansas. She played there until 2016, the year she also first joined the national team after participating in a US training camp.
Recently, Long was on loan with the BGC-College of Asian Scholars team in AFC Women’s Champions League preliminary stage but they were unable to advance to the group stage.
As it stands, it is unclear where Long is headed next.
Long recently helped the Filipinas win a historic gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games last December. Along the way in Thailand, she also reached her 100th cap — becoming the first Filipinas player to do so.
Long has two PFF Women’s League titles and five 7’s Cup titles with Kaya FC.
“From captaining the first Philippine team to compete in the AFC Women’s Champions League, to leading us to five 7’s Cup titles and two PFF Women’s League championships, Hali’s legacy helped define an era for Kaya and for women’s football in the country,” wrote Kaya on their announcement post.
“She leaves Kaya as a champion—a leader her teammates believe in and someone who gave everything for this club,” the club added.
While Long’s club commitments remain up in the air, she will have the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup in March to look forward to with the Filipinas as they aim for another FIFA Women's World Cup qualification.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.