Cebu Football News: Sinulog holds 1st football

WITH the popularity of football in the country skyrocketing because of the recent success of the Philippine national men’s team, the annual Sinulog celebration of Cebu City will hold its first Cebu football tournament.

The Cebu Amateur Football Club (CAFC) with the Sinulog Foundation, Inc. and the Cebu City Government will launch the 1st Sinulog Football Festival on Jan. 8 and 9 at the University of San Carlos-Technology Center football pitch.

The two-day festival will have eight divisions—Players 8, Players 10, Boys 12, Boys 14, Boys 17, Girls 17, Men’s Open and 38-and-above—which will be contested by some of the best clubs and schools in Cebu.

“We’re expecting local teams (to join the tournament) and limit it to just 100 teams,” said organizer Francis Ramirez, the coach of Abellana National School football squad, a press conference at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).

Interested squads may register at the CCSC or contact the CAFC through Ramirez or Frederick Alazas with the following mobile phone numbers—0923-4541353, 0927-7532555 and 09293489009.

Aside from the Cebu football tournament, there will also be a Sinulog Fun Run and a softball tournament.

CCSC manager Ricky Ballesteros promised that next year’s Sinulog sports events will be much bigger.

“Next year, we will make it bigger with more sports tournaments,” he said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on December 18, 2010.
Written by Edri K. Aznar.