Thirsty Cup

A few years ago the Thirsty Juices and Shakes gave Cebuanos something new and exciting in football – the Thirsty Cup.

This weekend, we will again experience the same excitement as the fifth edition of the Thirsty Football Festival takes place at the Cebu City Sports Center.

I was at the first edition of the tournament as a mere spectator and a football, but I still enjoyed it a lot.  I managed to be part of the next three editions as a player in the 36 years old and above class for the Queen City United team and it was even more enjoyable.

This year, I’ll enjoy it once again from the point of the view of the audience, just like thousands of other parents, relatives and friends of the players, who have made the Thirsty Cup what it is today.

With again a record field set to participate, organizers might soon be forced to do a week-long event instead of just three days to be able to accommodate all those that want to join.

While many experts say that festivals are not the solution to our need for top caliber players, but then it is definitely the way to encourage more players to take up the sport and hopefully see many of then take it seriously so that they would move on to the next level.

The Thirsty Cup has done a lot to get many people very excited about football and I would like to see that continue for many more years.

To the Pages family, most especially Bunny and his son Charlie, you’ve done so much for football and I wish you more success in your business and sporting endeavors.

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There are now many football festivals and tournaments that are being held around Cebu giving our players more opportunity to show their skills and learn from the others.

These have also spurred the formation of more football teams in the schools and communities around Cebu.

I would say that the growth of football in Cebu the past five years has been very rapid and the need for more coaches, trainers and officials is also becoming very evident.

In order for the sport to attain its maximum potential, the needs must also be met.  I hope our Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) will really be up to the challenge.

Things are looking bright so let’s keep it that way.