Benguet Football - Strawberry football cup opens

By Roderick Osis

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

SOME 3O teams formally opened their title bid hunt as the first Strawberry Football Cup kicked off at the Benguet State University (BSU) football ground.

The 12-year-old-and-below tournament attracted teams from the 16 barangays of La Trinidad with powerhouse BSU seen to be among the top contenders of the tournament which will run until March 18.


Benguet Representative Ronald Cosalan graced the opening of the grassroots football competition, which he funded with the support of the La Trinidad Municipal Government through Mayor Gregorio Abalos Jr.

The champions will bring home P15,000 cash prized plus a trophy, while second placer will receive P10,000 prize with the third placer going home with P5,000 cash prize.

As an add-on, a P500,000 grand prize awaits the barangay where the team comes from will be given after the tournament to support its sports program.

Cosalan vowed to fund another football tournament for elementary and probably high school students in La Trinidad depending on the success of the 1st Strawberry Football Cup.

The football event was made possible after the Benguet lawmaker has allotted P1 million from his priority development assistance fund to support the sports program on the municipality with football and baseball as priority programs.

Cosalan and Abalos turned over new pair of soccer shoes and socks to each of the hundreds young football enthusiasts before the start of the tournament.

Late last year, members of the of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, who won as champion in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, trained these kids with the fundamentals of the sports, which is fast becoming famous in the province and nearby Baguio City.


Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on March 06, 2012.