Bigger than ever

About 2,500 players of all ages will invade the Alabang Country Club polo field tomorrow and the day after to participate in the 6th Alaska Cup Football Festival, easily the country’s largest single sporting event.

The huge, well-manicured turf will be transformed into 16 to 18 football pitches where games are to be played simultaneously.

Alaska sports development director Joaqui Trillo says the weekend tournament is patterned after the Gothia Cup in Sweden and will pull in at least 132 boys and 54 girls teams from all over the archipelago. Aside from Metro Manila, teams are expected from Los Baños, Lipa, Albay, Baguio, Bacolod, Cebu, Dipolog and Dumaguete.

It’s the sixth straight year that Alaska is sponsoring the footfest which, Trillo notes, may expand to include Southeast Asian entries in the future. The Alaska Cup could become the Asian version of the Gothia Cup which attracts youth players in the thousands from around the world.

Trillo says the Alaska Cup is geared towards making the youth realize that sports is needed in one’s life especially to keep mentally and physically fit. "More importantly, sports instills discipline and creates character in their formative years which they can certainly use to their advantage later on in life," adds Trillo.

Tomas Lozano, a Spaniard who has settled here with his Filipino wife, is the Alaska Cup’s tournament director. Lozano, a former Philippine team coach, has organized the five previous Cups and is the founder of the Makati and Alabang football schools.

The games kick off at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow in five divisions — ladies open, girls 15-and-under, boys 17-and-under, boys 15-and-under, and boys 7-and-under. Sunday’s games also begin at 7:30 a.m. in six divisions — men’s open, girls 13-and-under, boys 13-and-under, boys 11-and-under, boys 9-and-under, and a special group for under-4 and under-6 kids.

The response to the Alaska Cup has been so enthusiastic that there are at least 10 teams in the waiting line to take over slots in case of no-shows.

In the men’s open, 30 teams are listed — including Hapee Toothpaste of Cebu, the Blue Guards, Guardia Real, Philippine Air Force, Los Borrachos, Kaya Agila, Letran, the Japanese Football Club of Manila, Atletico, Mendiola, Onze, Vista Verde, St. Benedict College, Ateneo, and the Salesians.

Among the clubs competing in the ladies’ open are Faith Academy, Brent Mamplasan, University of the Philippines, College of St. Benilde, Ateneo, Miriam, St. Benedict College, La Salle, International School of Manila, Don Bosco, St. Benedict College, La Salle Zobel, Woodrose, and the Dumaguete Football Club.

The champions in each division will receive the Alaska Cup trophy and 13 gold medals for 12 players and the head coach. Second placers take home a trophy and 13 silver medals. Third placers bring back a trophy and 13 bronze medals. An MVP will be named for each age group.

The footfest is a treat for the family. I should know — I attended the Alabang weekend competitions once several years ago when my daughter played for her school. I remember seeing Alaska chief executive officer and avid sportsman Fred Uytengsu watching the games with his family — Uytengsu’s support has been invaluable in assuring the success of the yearly tournament.

If you’re a sports fan, take time out to watch the games in Alabang this weekend. You’ll be surprised at the turnout. If you’ve got kids, bring them along and enjoy the competition in an atmosphere that’s wholesome and friendly. There’s nothing like sports to keep the juices flowing.

Postscript. Homer Sayson, Sun Star Cebu’s US-based columnist, phoned long distance the other day to excitedly share the news that he’s been accredited to sit along press row for the Hasim Rahman-Lennox Lewis world heavyweight title rematch in Las Vegas this weekend . . . Rizal High School will hold its 14th grand alumni homecoming on Dec. 2 at its Pasig campus. For details, contact Irma Cayanan at 643-9245 or Cita Febre at 411-1689. Believe it or not, Rizal is entered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest high school, says Chito Capistrano of Class ’71.