New ball field at SRP boosts batted sports

CEBU, Philippines - The newly-constructed softball and baseball field in the South Road Properties (SRP) was just in time for the promotion of the sport and an added location for the Summer Grassroots Sports Development Program.

Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) Chairman Edward Hayco said he was glad that a new field was built, because this is one way of helping the commission, which has the goal of bringing back the fame of this dying sport.

“We really lack playing venues for this sport and I’m just happy that a new field has been made just in time for our summer sports program, which will be added to our two already established playing venues,” said Hayco.

Aside from the field at SRP, the other areas where baseball and softball can be played will be at Labangon and Talamban.

Meanwhile, a total of 20,000 barangay kids will troop to 16 public school gyms starting today until May for CCSC’s grassroots program.

The sports offered are tennis, taekwondo, arnis, archery, baseball, softball, dancesports, judo, table tennis, sepak takraw, chess, boxing, beach volleyball, athletics, badminton, basketball and volleyball.

The third edition of Cebu Fest, now dubbed as the “Great Sports Festival and Expo Cebu” will serve as the culminating activity of the grassroots training program.

CCSC executive director Brando Velasquez said the elementary and high school students who joined the training in the different sporting events will be assessed through the said sports festival slated on May 17-20 at the South Road Properties (SRP) and other venues in the Queen City of the South. 

Basically, CCSC will be training and targeting students and out-of-school youths as the participants for the grassroots program. This is the commission’s way of helping the Department of Education (DepEd) in their quest to improve its standing in the national arena.

The program is also intended to discover potential athletes that would not only excel locally but also nationally and hopefully in the international scene as well.

CCSC set to end the grassroots training on the first week of May so that they will be able to come up with a team that will join in the three-day sports conclave. — (FREEMAN)