Azkals to award Inter-club winners

By Mars G. Alison Cebu Daily News - PDI

Participating teams in the Cebu Amateur Football Club (CAFC) 11th National Interclub Football Cup will have an added incentive in vying for the championships.

The Philippine national football team more famously known as the Azkals will be awarding the champions of the tournament during its closing ceremonies on May 29 at the football field of the University of San Carlos Technological Center (USC-TC). The tournament kicks off today in various football pitches in Cebu City.

In a final coaches meeting last Thursday night, CAFC president Glenn Quisido urged all teams to go for the title as they will not only have the privilege to be awarded by the Azkals but will also have the chance to share the stage with them and have their photos taken with the national team.

The Azkals will be having their one-week team bonding here in Cebu City as part of their preparation for the World Cup qualifiers. According to Quisido, they will arrive on May 25 and will immediately start their training.

Quisido said he was grateful that the Azkals agreed to spare the CAFC one day. In exchange, the club will be partly supporting the national team’s stay in Cebu. The CAFC will also help the Azkals in their fund-raising activity by selling official Azkals shirts during the week-long tournament.
The CAFC will put up booths in the three playing venues—USC-TC, San Roque football field and Paref Springdale and sell the shirts starting today until May 29.

The tournament, considered one of the biggest outside Manila, has gathered teams from the Manila Soccer Academy, San Carlos City, Masbate, Iloilo, Ormoc, Bohol and Northern Samar.

In an effort to make the tournament flow more smoothly, CAFC has decided to schedule only two games in the morning and two games in the afternoon in all playing venues.

And just like in the previous years, Quisido lamented the scarcity of girls teams in the tournament.

“We have encouraged them to join the tournament, however, most refused because they said they cannot come up with 11 members to compromise a team,” Quisido said.

The tournament though has three girls teams contesting the girls 17-Under title. These are Queen City United, Aroroy FC of Masbate and the USC-TC.