THIS year’s 2nd BRO National Football Festival is definitely bigger that its inaugural edition last year withn the inclusion of the “Challenge of the Champions-Men’s Open” category which will bring in champion football teams from other parts of the country and the United Football League (UFL).
Instead of a three-day event, this year’s festival will span one week with the Challenge of the Champions to be held from April 22 to 25 and the festival from April 26 to 28.
Among those invited to see action are San Beda, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 88 champions; Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 75 champions, UFL’s Air Force Phoenix and Green Archers United Globe; Ceres FC, the PFF-Smart Club champions; and the University of San Jose Recoletos, the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) titlist.
ADMU will have two Cebuanos in its lineup—Valentino Calvo and Jico Noel while the Green Archers will have Emilio “Chieffy” Caligdong.
Despite the name of the category, Rodney Orale, one of the founders of the BRO football said that local teams willing to test their capabilities against the above listed teams are welcome such as the University of Cebu (UC)-Nigerian team.
Orale’s very own club—ERCO FC, will be coming up with its own selection of players. Tryout schedules will be announced at a later date until a coach will be named to helm the team.
According to Orale, they will be limiting the number of teams to 25 with 18 players each team.
Orale, along with his co-founders Engr. Keith Buyco and coach Glenn Ramos, said that they have decided to bring in such top teams here to provide a good exposure to the local teams and a good entertainment and inspiration for the local football community.
Aside from trophies and medals, the top three winners in this category will also receive cash.
The champion will get P50,000, 1st runner-up P30,000 and 2nd runner-up P20,000.
FOOTBALL FESTIVAL
The football festival, on the other hand, will be a 9-a-side and 11-a-side affair and will have no limit on the number of participants.
Categories are Players 7, 8, 9, Boys 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, Girls 14 and 19, Ladies and Men’s Open and Executives 36 and 42.
Registration fee for the Ladies and Men’s Open and Executives 36 and 42 is pegged at P1,200 while the rest of the categories will charge P800.
Orale is urging all those interested to attend the first coaches’ meeting this Friday, 7 p.m. at the Jollibee Raintree Mall along Mango Avenue. For more information, one can check Brofootball.Org. /CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON