Board members of the Cebu Football Association led by its president Ricky Dakay (center) pose with Farrah Mayol, AboitizLand Inc.’s senior manager for branding and reputation, during the press launching of the 20th Aboitiz Football Cup at the social hall of the Aboitiz Corporate Offices in Banilad, Cebu City.
The dream of making the Aboitiz Football Cup a national tournament has taken its first step with the launching of the first Luzon leg at the new pitch built by AboitizLand at The Outlets in Lipa, Batangas, in October.
This was announced by Farrah Mayol, the senior manager for Branding and Reputation of the AboitizLand Inc., during the press launching of the 20th Aboitiz Football Cup yesterday at the social hall of the Aboitiz Corporate Offices in Banilad, Cebu City.
According to Cebu Football Association (CFA) president Ricky Dakay, the Luzon leg will be patterned after the tournament here such as having the same categories. The CFA has been organizing this tournament since its first edition in 1999.
This is why tournament director Glenn Quisido said that this year’s 20th edition of the tournament will end by December unlike in previous years wherein it ends by the first quarter of the year.
Thus, this year’s tournament will start its matches by Sept. 8, but the opening program will be held on Sept. 29 at the SM Seaside City, Cebu.
Not all categories though will begin its contest as the tournament will have to make way for the Cesafi football competition which will also begin next month. As per rule, teams competing in the Cesafi cannot join other tournaments while the inter-school league is ongoing.
Night matches will also be held to ensure that the tournament will end by December.
Quisido also added that as part of long-term plans, winners in the Cebu leg will play against winners in Luzon once the leg there is established.
Meanwhile, something new for the tournament this year is that AboitizLand will be partnering with the CFA in the holding of a grassroots football clinic in Cebu towns.
AboitizLand manager for corporate social responsibility Carlo Tenerife said that the first beneficiary will be the kids in Balamban by November.