Cebu Football - Aboitiz Football Cup to raise registration fee

SEVERAL changes have been introduced in this year’s 13th Aboitiz Football Cup, which will kickoff on Aug. 29 and run until February 2011 at the Aboitiz Sports Field at the North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City.

Most notable of these is the raising of the registration fee of the age-groups from P1,000 last year to P2,500 this year.

Tournament director Adonis Quitoy said that as agreed by organizers Cebu Football Association (CFA) and the Aboitiz Group of Companies, the latter will finance the tournament while the CFA will keep whatever will be earned from the registration fees.

“What we get from the registration goes to the CFA funds to be used in office operations and give support to the coaches and referees’ development, so what they give basically goes back to them,” Quitoy explained.

He added that the amount is even lesser than registration fees pegged for football festivals which only run for a few days.

Allowing the CFA to earn from the registration is also Aboitiz’s way of supporting the football body.

The other change to be effected is the format play from cup-type to league-type except in the Division 2 of the Men’s Open. This means that the team with the most number of wins will earn the division title except in cases of ties.

The tournament features players 8,10, boys 12, boys and girls’ 15 and 17, men’s 38-above, men and ladies’ open.

Instead of last year’s Men's Cup and the Men's League, there will be two divisions for the Men's Open.

The top two teams in the Men's Cup and Men's League will be playing in Division 1 while the rest of the teams will play in Division 2.

Division 1 will have the league-type format while Division 2 will have the cup-type format wherein teams will be grouped into two with the top two teams in each group advancing to the crossover semifinals. /CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON

Cebu Daily News