The Azkals Development Team, commonly referred to as ADT, is a Filipino football club that competes in the Philippines Football League.
Founded in 2020, the team is under the control of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) but is managed similar to a professional club.
Most of the club's players are members of the Philippines' youth national teams.
History
Following the participation of the Philippine U22 team in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games which was hosted in the Philippines, it was reported that there were plans to have the national youth team participate in the 2020 season of the Philippines Football League (PFL) as a guest team.
However, such plans were dropped and a reportedly a full-fledged professional club under the name ADT F.C. will enter the league instead.
The formation of the club is an initiative of the National Teams Committee of the Philippine Football Federation.
The coaching staff of the Philippine senior national team will be involved with ADT with Scott Cooper as head coach.
The ADT was formed after it was observed that other countries participating in the games already had many players participating in professional leagues while Filipino players of the same age still involved in collegiate football.
The development team is intended give "professional club environment" exposure to mainly youth players as well as select overage players from the senior national team such as individuals who recently recovered from an injury.
According to national team manager Dan Palami, the ADT is a platform to develop "homegrown" players for the national team.
By January 2020, the club had begun signing its first set of players.
ADT played their first friendly match against Philippine Army F.C. on March 5, 2020, as part of Philippine Army's 123rd founding anniversary.
ADT won 6–0.
ADT's debut in the PFL was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic forced the postponement of the 2020 PFL season.
In preparation for the possible resumption of the season, ADT's players went to Balesin Island in September 2020.
While by this time the government through Games and Amusements Board and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has allowed PFL teams to conduct team trainings, ADT's status as a guest team and non-professional side of the PFL meant that it had to secure a separate permission from the government.
ADT played their first-ever PFL match on October 28, 2020, at the PFF National Training Center, where they lost to defending champions United City (formerly Ceres–Negros), 1–0.
On their third match of the season, on November 3, they clinched their first-ever PFL win, 2–0 over Mendiola.
Jarvey Gayoso scored the team's first-ever PFL goal.
In the 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara, ADT finished as runners-up.
Players
First team squad
Out on loan
Head coaches
Honors
Copa Paulino Alcantara
Runners-up: 2021
See also
Young Lions FC, a Singaporean professional football club whose players also play for Singapore's national youth teams.
References
ADT FC ADT FC Category:2020 establishments in the Philippines Category:Association football clubs established in 2020
