Let’s build a field at SRP

 “This is a happy day.”

Those words came from no less than Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña when he arrived at Yayoy’s Grill lunchtime last Saturday to join Team Cebu City football and judo for a victory celebration tendered by the Visayan Electric Company (VECO).

Much have already been written about the success of the two teams in the Philippine Olympic Festival and the Philippine National Youth Games despite the very short notice given by the organizers for the teams to get to the national capital for the finals.

Now that it has been done, I believe the next step is to take measures that would help our teams prepare for competitions and also ways where we have a stand-by list of sponsors from the private sector to support our athletes.

One of the dreams of the local sports community is to see a sports facility built at the South Road Properties (SRP).

Unfortunately the area that was originally identified as the site for a sports facility is now being used by the contractor of the tunnel.

Maybe Mayor Tom can identify another area around the SRP that can be flattened and turned into a football field for the meantime.

We can also play batted sports like baseball and softball in the area and other events requiring a big area.

I believe the cost of making an area flat enough to play football at would not be that much and this way, our football players will have a venue where they can train without having to worry about dealing with the people running around the oval that they might hit when the ball goes wayward.

While we continue to dream of a major stadium where we can host big events, let us start with an area that can be used to play at for the meantime.

There are not too many fields available around the city and except for the football field inside the Cebu City Sports Center, I don’t think we have a standard-sized field anywhere else.

I hope Councilors Yayoy Alcoseba and Jack Jakosalem can help facilitate this.

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We have to accept that not everything we want can easily be achieved.  With very limited funds to get by with, we have to learn to make do with what we can for the moment, but that does not mean we’ll have to be satisfied with that.

When a few years ago there was grand talk about building a sports facility at the SRP, naturally I was very thrilled to learn that a plan was in place.

As the years passed, people have continued to ask when construction is going to start or even where the place was to be built.

Some events have overtaken the plans, which means they have to be redone.  But then there are things that can already be done just to start this off.

Maybe we could learn a few things from the efforts of FC Inter Cebu in Mactan led by Manfred Schuwerk, who found ways to make football fields from unused properties with the help of the players themselves.

I do remember meeting Manfred with Councilor Jack a few years ago to discuss some plans for football. 

Things can happen if we care enough to let them work out.

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Registration for the Alta Vista Christmas Fun Golf Classic is now open. 

Entry fee is only P2,500, which already entitles the participant to a pair of Bolle Parole golf eyewear worth P6,000 each.

Of course, you also get a chance to win hole-in-one prizes, raffle prizes, and many more if you take part in the tournament.

There are limited slots available so sign up now at the AVGCC registration counter.