Aboitiz Football Festival kicks off today at CCSC

A record-field of 216 teams from all over the country start their bid for glory in the 2006 Aboitiz National Football Festival at the Cebu City Sports Center this morning.

The event features different age-groups with the men's open having the most number of entries with 39 teams.

The players 6 (P6) class features five squads, P8 with 27, P10 with 34, boys 12 with 21 points, boys 14 with 17, boys-17 with 28, men's 36 and above with nine.

The girls side, on the other hand, will have five teams competing in the girls' 12, 16 teams in the girls' 16 and 14 in the women's open.

Among the participating teams, Springdale is the top team to beat as they earned several no.1 spot in the seeding after ruling either last year's action or based in the results of the Mizuno Cup.

Springdale's supremacy, however, is not as easy with the entry of the out-of-towners including Ateneo de Davao, Cagayan de Oro Football Center, Masbate City Football Club, Negros Occidental FA, San Carlos City FC, Dumaguete FC, Naga City, and Camarines Sur FA.

Today's schedule includes the action in the players' 6 and 8, Boys 12 and 17 and the girls'17-under class.

The rest of the categories will be staged tomorrow.