Stephan Schroeck officially signs a new deal with United City Football Club (UCFC), previously known as Ceres Negros.
This means the 33-year old Philippines born-German attacking midfielder would remain as club captain with the club, since on loan in 2016 from Bundesliga club, Greuther Furth.
He agreed to join Ceres permanently in 2o17 and helped the club to win three league titles in a row.
Co-founder of UCFC, Eric Gottschalk believes the signing has cemented a key cornerstone in the preparations of the new club and sets the signal that the team is serious about competing for the title in the Philippines Football League (PFL).
“Having Stephan commit to stay at the new club means a lot not just to the organization, but also to the fans. He is the captain and the leader of the team, and that is what is needed especially since we are trying to establish our new identity on and off the field.
“It would have been a big loss for Philippines football if the captain would leave the PFL to compete elsewhere. His commitment to the local league shows his seriousness of trying to make a difference, but also his trust in our vision for the club.
“We had many talks over the past few weeks and Stephan is very clear of where he wants to go: He wants to be able to compete at the highest level and be able to win more titles but he also wants to prepare for his second career once he steps off the field – So our objectives are aligned perfectly well.”
For the 2020 season, Stephan will not only lead the team on the field as captain, but also off-the-pitch as a playing-assistant coach/trainer, as a first step to fulfill his ambition to become a fully certified football coach in the coming years.
UCFC also plan to announce 2020 squad this week.