321 teams enlist for Thirsty football

The Thirsty Cup solidified its status as the biggest football festival in the country after it gathered 321 teams, a league record since its inception in 2004.

This year’s 9th edition of the 7-a-side football tournament will be held for the first time in two venues and over two weekends: Feb. 11-12 and Feb. 18-19.

Tournament director Neil Montesclaros said the main reason for these changes is the number of participants which increased to about a hundred from last year’s.

Another reason is because unlike before, the Thirsty Cup could no longer hold games in the night as they have changed venues from the football field of the Cebu City Sports Center, which is undergoing rehabilitation, to the pitches in San Roque, Mandaue City and University of San Carlos Technological Center (USC-TC) in Talamban, Cebu City.

Of the 321 entries, 47 are from out of town. They are teams from Tacloban, Leyte, Cagayan de Oro, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Bacolod, and Iligan.

Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC) is back this year after abstaining from the tournament last year.

DBTC is sending the largest contingent with close to 30 teams seeing action in all categories being contested.

The 9th edition will also see the entry of the Little Azkals — the Philippine Under 14 team, who will make the boys 14 competition tougher.

In yesterday’s press conference held at the Mooon Café at the I.T. Park, Eugene Ynclino III, head of referees of the Cebu Football Association (CFA), said that the Thirsty Cup started the development of football festival in Cebu City and contributed a lot to the grassroots development of the sport here.

In line with its tagline of “The Healthy Way” Thirsty also holds tournaments in tennis and basketball.

The tournament would have had 12 more teams seeing action if teams from the Springdale Football Club were allowed to compete.

The club has been meted with a three-year ban by the CFA after it withdrew from the ongoing 14th Aboitiz Cup.

The team is currently negotiating with the CFA and organizers of the Aboitiz Football Cup to lower or lift the sanction.

John Pages of Thirsty also emphasized that their tournament have always been sanctioned by the CFA so they have to abide by the football association’s rules and regulations.

The Aboitiz Cup will not be holding any age-group matches this Saturday to make way for the Thirsty Cup. Instead, it will hold only men’s under 19 matches this Saturday and men’s open on Sunday.