Hyundai Cup Champions league: Supporting grassroots football

Organizers of the Hyundai Cup Champions League together during a press conference at the Hyundai Cebu-South dealership. CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON

Organizers of the Hyundai Cup 2018 Champions League are hoping that local teams can benefit from the tournament that is slated March 25 to 27 at the Fr. Julian Hernando Football Field inside the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu campus in Barangay Canduman, Mandaue City.

Hyundai COO Kenneth Tan said during a press conference yesterday at the Hyundai Cebu-South dealership in Barangay Carreta at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City that the company is continuing its support for grassroots football through this tournament.

This is the second year of the football tournament.

“The goal is to bring better competition for local teams, [so they can] go up against teams not just in their locality but also teams from neighboring areas,” said Tan.

According to Tan, the idea was actually to hold pocket tournaments in the Visayas and Mindanao areas where Hyundai has branches such as Dumaguete, Tacloban, Tagbilaran and Cagayan de Oro.

Winners would have been brought to Cebu for a tournament, thus the Champions League tag.

But he said they failed to realize this due to lack of time in preparation. He did say, though, that they are still looking to be able to pull off the original idea for the tournament hopefully by next year.

According to Architect Josephril Partosa, one of the organizers, this year’s edition of the Born 2002-invitational tournament will have six teams from last year and will already be a three-day event.

There will also be a clinic for booters eight years old to 12 years old to be handled by Darren Hartmann, a former member of the Philippine Azkals.

Hartmann will also be bringing a team from his family’s football club, the Great Oak Manor (GOM), to see action in the tournament alongside defending champions Ateneo de Cebu, runner-up Don Bosco Technical College, Negros Occidental Football Association, Don Bosco Boys Home, and PAREF Springdale.

Partosa added that the teams they have invited either champions or runners-up in tournaments that they have competed in.

This year’s 11-a-side tournament, held in partnership with Ateneo de Cebu and sanctioned by the Cebu Football Association, will still follow a league-type format.

There will now be a championship match between the top 1 and 2 teams after the eliminations, said tournament director Antonio Trebol.

Trebol added that a fight for third place will also be determined via a penalty shootout between the top 3 and 4 teams. With this, participants could also experience a penalty shootout.

Partners for the tournament are Leylam, Optima, Sunsport, Yoyen’s Purified Drinking Water and Aicila Suites Hotel.