Thirsty Football Cup: Football fever heats up this March

One of the photo entries of the 2023 edition of the Thirsty Football Cup. | Photo from Thirsty Football Cup.
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The Thirsty Football Cup, one of the Philippines’ longest-running and biggest football tournaments, is gunning to surpass its massive turnout last year.
Now on its 19th year, the 2024 tournament drew an impressive 213 teams and approximately 3,000 players from across the Philippines, competing in three days of nonstop football action at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
This year, the Thirsty Football Cup returns from March 28-30 at the same venue, moving to an earlier date compared to last year’s August schedule, to accommodate Cebu City’s hosting of the Palarong Pambansa.
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In a virtual press conference, Bunny Pages, CEO of Thirsty and Chairman of Pages Holdings, Inc., expressed excitement for the upcoming event, joined by his sons John and Michael, who are also event organizers.
“We’re thrilled to bring back the Thirsty Cup for its 19th year. This is not only the longest-running but also one of the biggest football tournaments in the country,” said Pages.
“Sustaining this tournament is always a challenge, but the enthusiasm and participation each year keep us motivated.”
To encourage participation, the organizers of the Thirsty Football Cup are offering early bird registration discounts from January 27 to March 6 for teams across 13 age groups.
A notable change this year is the adjustment in the age brackets, as announced by John Pages, who also serves as the CCSC chairman.
“We’re reverting to the original odd-numbered age groups for the younger categories,” explained Pages.
“For instance, instead of even-numbered age brackets like Under-8, we will now have categories such as Under-7, Under-9, and so on. This decision was made after thorough discussions with the organizing team.”
“The age brackets we will have a one year change. Before, the players’ six and younger categories had even numbers such as players 8 and so on. However, after several discussions with my fellow organizers, it was decided to revert to the odd numbers,” said Pages.
The age groups are now players 7, 9, and 11, girls’ 15 and 17, boys 13, 15, 17, and 19, along with the men’s and women’s open, mixed open, and 40-above.
To further recognize outstanding players, additional individual awards will be introduced alongside the traditional “Most Valuable Player” accolade.
Beyond football, the organizers of Thirsty Football Cup hinted at the revival of other Thirsty sports events, such as the Thirsty Hoop Jams, Thirsty Tennis Cup, Thirsty Badminton Tournament, and Thirsty Run.
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