Wednesday, February 13, 2013
THE Thirsty Cup Football Festival continues to grow in number as they will
welcome 349 teams, the largest by far, from Feb. 15 to 17 at the
Cebu City Sports Center.
welcome 349 teams, the largest by far, from Feb. 15 to 17 at the
Cebu City Sports Center.
As the longest-running football festival in the city turns a decade old,
it has attracted more participation from football clubs outside Cebu,
with visiting teams from 11 key cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.
it has attracted more participation from football clubs outside Cebu,
with visiting teams from 11 key cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.
“It's getting bigger every year since we started in 2004 with 120 teams
and there's also more support from fans and parents,” said Bunny Pages,
CEO of Pages Holdings and Thirsty Fruit Juices and Shakes.
and there's also more support from fans and parents,” said Bunny Pages,
CEO of Pages Holdings and Thirsty Fruit Juices and Shakes.
These teams come from Tacloban, Leyte, Bohol, Dumaguete, Masbate,
Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Davao, Dipolog, Bukidnon and as far as
Zamboanga.
Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Davao, Dipolog, Bukidnon and as far as
Zamboanga.
The festival will still retain its categories from last year— the Players 6,
Players 8, Players 10, Boys 12, Boys and Girls 14, Boys and Girls 17,
Boys and Girls 19, Ladies and Men’'s Open and the 36-above and 42 above.
Players 8, Players 10, Boys 12, Boys and Girls 14, Boys and Girls 17,
Boys and Girls 19, Ladies and Men’'s Open and the 36-above and 42 above.
All these categories will be played in a 7-aside format except for the
Players 6, which will still be a 5-aside event.
Players 6, which will still be a 5-aside event.
The men's open will be action-packed with 72 teams set to converge
on Sunday along with the Ladies Open, which has 22 teams.
on Sunday along with the Ladies Open, which has 22 teams.
One of the highlights of the festival are the night games on Friday in
the Girls 14, Girls 19, Boys 19 and Players 42 and above,
which will be played from 5 p.m. until midnight.
the Girls 14, Girls 19, Boys 19 and Players 42 and above,
which will be played from 5 p.m. until midnight.
On Saturday, matches in the Boys 14, Boys 17 and Players 10 will
kick off in the sports center while the Players 8, Players 6, Boys 12,
Girls 1 and 36-above will be played in Don Bosco Technology
Center in Punta, Prinsesa.
kick off in the sports center while the Players 8, Players 6, Boys 12,
Girls 1 and 36-above will be played in Don Bosco Technology
Center in Punta, Prinsesa.
Among the things to look forward to are the appearance of Azkal
national player Emelio Caligdong and the Leylam Little Azkals. Caligdong will
be playing with Erco FC in the men's open division.
national player Emelio Caligdong and the Leylam Little Azkals. Caligdong will
be playing with Erco FC in the men's open division.
“The board's support will always be here for Thirsty Cup. It is the
pioneer of football festivals in Cebu and has established itself as the
premier football festival in Cebu,” said Cebu Football Association Vice
President Rico Navarro.
pioneer of football festivals in Cebu and has established itself as the
premier football festival in Cebu,” said Cebu Football Association Vice
President Rico Navarro.
CFA Referee Committee Head Rodney Orale also assured that there
will be enough referees for this weekend's matches despite the late
night games.
will be enough referees for this weekend's matches despite the late
night games.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 13, 2013.
Big money making venture!
ReplyDeleteExpensive registrations with 3 games per team in the elimination round. Thirsty for money...
ReplyDeletenegosyo to..imagine travelling for so many hours...teams far flung provinces just to play 3 games at most..playing time 10 minutes////// ayyy ano ba to...gastos sa pamasahe at ang laki ng registration hehhee..HINDI WORTH.
ReplyDeleteso why are there so many teams joining?- sa men's alone -72 teams!!
ReplyDeleteold players and newbies alike are "thirsty" for football games and every chance they get, they join. lalo na ngayon na sikat na ang football at kung ikaw marunong maglaro, 'cool' ka na ka-agad. what is P1,200 divided by 10 players and you get to enjoy. mas mahal pa kung mag-tambay sa mall. these business-minded organizers merely saw an opportunity for advertisng their 'thirsty' brand for free and in addition earn some money. walang talo ito. in some festivals, they even refuse to accept teams usually sa Mens' because their are so many already. nothing wrong with this. mag-organize ka nang sarili mong festival. this is a free country.
ang registration fee na P1,200 ay mura na compared to festivals in Manila where you have pay to P6,000 to P8,000 to join. but I guess depende ito sa lugar. kung nasa probinsiya ka, siguro mahal ito
ReplyDeletekung ganito kadami ang teams paano ka ba mag enjoy...laro ka ng isang game pagkatapos maghintay ka naman nga ilang oras sa sunod hehehetapos for just 15 minutes lang...mauubos lang ang time sa kalalabas ng bola...hindi mo makikita ang ganda ng laro coz it's too crowded...karamihan dyan paporma lang..ganda nga uniform hindi pala marunong maglaro
ReplyDeletewe have been a part of these tournament for 4 consecutive years...pero as years pass we realize that we could not find good and talented players with this kind of tournament..imagine travelling for 12 hours back and forth...tapos pagdating mo you only have 10 minutes of playing time..and just playing 3 games..matagal pa ang byahe keysa nilaro mo..good if your from cebu
ReplyDeletethis tournament is for the general public lang. azkals & pros should not even join this. definitely not for finding talents. pang-weekend warriors lang ito. the only nice thing about this is that it popularizes the sport in many ways. festivals supplement the formal programs that pff has and is not intended to replace it. wala na mang masama dito and is good for a city like cebu or manila na napakarami ang mga sporting events going on. if you are serious, you can join aboitiz cup which lasts for several weeks but this is for teams based in cebu otherwise magastos, pabalik-balik ka sa cebu. football became popular in cebu in the 90's and for many years when they used the football field across ayala mainly for festivals but since it was in the center of the commercial district, maraming nakakakita at naging interesadong maglaro.
ReplyDeletei think players joining this kind of tournament are on R&R...
ReplyDelete