THE Aboitiz Football Cup—the country’d longest running grassroots football tournament—returns after a two-year pandemic hiatus from November 12 to December 10 at the Aboitiz Pitch inside the Lima Estate in Lipa City.
Now in its 22nd year, the Aboitiz Football Cup is back with greater interest with the recent success of the men’s and women’s national teams as well as seven-a-side football and futsal.
This year’s tournament features 14 categories—mixed 7-under, 9-under, 11-under and 13-under; boys 15-under, 17-under, 19-under and 23-under; mixed, men’s and women’s open; and veterans 30-39, 40-49 and 50-above.
Matches will be played every Saturday for five weeks.
“The success of the Aboitiz Football Cup has been its grassroots program where kids can fulfill their football dreams as they go up the football pyramid,” said Rely San Agustin, tournament organizer and former national player.
“With the Aboitiz Football Cup back in season, this is a healthy sign for the game and staying fit and healthy with life getting back to a sense of normalcy after the lockdown,” San Agustin added.
“Para sa Philippine Air Force [PAF], malaking bagay na kasama kami sa Aboitiz Football Cup kung saan kami nag-champion nung 2018,” said PAF playing coach Joebel Bermejo who was part of the Philippines’ breakout Azkals side of 2010. “Magandang memories para sa amin kasi pagkatapos ng Aboitiz Cup, ‘yung ibang players namin nag-retire on a good note.”
If some players went out with a bang, others came away noticed. One of them is current Azkals Development Team forward Andres Aldeguer.
The tournament also provides an event for former players to continue playing even if they have moved to other fields, one of them actor and model Jao Mapa, who played for the University of Santo Tomas in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
He also played for Kapamilya United (ABS-CBN) in the Aboitiz Football Cup where they emerged oixed Open champions in 2018.
“I try to participate and play football as much as I can,” described Mapa of his love for football. “Tournaments like the Aboitiz Football Cup allow people like me to continue to play and live out our football dreams even if we are professionals in other fields.”
Anchoring on the Aboitiz Group’s Great Transformation, the return of the Aboitiz Football Cup this season also anticipates intensified bootcamps for both young enthusiasts and sports teachers in Batangas province.
It also elaborates the Aboitiz Group’s commitment to advance communities and people’s lives through community engagement and athletics.
“The Aboitiz Football Cup has been a great arena to gather professionals and football enthusiasts alike,” said Clifford Academia, Lima Estate’s Vice President for Operations. “We saw that opportunity to use this season’s five festival days and additional three non-festival days as training sessions for community kids in Malvar, Batangas.”
Academia added: “This eight-day football clinic provides the community kids a chance to meet and play with some of our successful football players and drive inspiration from their values and experiences. Looking ahead, we wanted to give them a chance to experience a football festival, and hopefully next year, participate in quality competition.”
With notable local football official Edwin Alobin serving as tournament director, the Aboitiz Football Cup will also highlight skills training and capability building for coaches and referees from local schools and communities through its two-day referee course and events management training sessions.
“The objective for this is to teach the laws of the game to others so they can organize tournaments in their community,” San Agustin said.
Interested parties who wish to participate in the 22nd Aboitiz Cup can send their inquiries to info@rsa1group.com or to send SMS to +639177025952.