Fair Play: Covering CAFC's Interclub
I MUST have lost a few pounds and turned a few degrees darker this past week.
I spent most of it covering CAFC’s 10th Interclub Invitational tournament—the only local tournament I covered by choice.
I didn’t plan to do it and all I wanted at first was to catch a few games. But since I pass by USC every day, I thought, why not cover the whole thing?
I’m sure glad I did since it’s fun to be a football reporter, all over again.
It’s been three years since I covered a football tournament, I’ve forgotten how fun it is.
I’ve forgotten too, that despite spending most of the games in the shade, you still sweat like a pig.
I love this tournament. I was there the first time the Cebu Amateur Football Club held it, and I’m glad I got to cover its 10th edition.
This tournament shows what a club can accomplish, once it settles and gets to work.
The club is run by folks who got to play football again because their sons and daughters are in the game and because of the sport’s surge a few years ago.
The result? You have a financially-sound tournament that players anticipate every year, one of only three 11-a-side events in Cebu.
The PFF also seems to agree and have asked the club to run the training for the RP 14-Under team.
The Interclub, too, brings a lot of memories.
I was still a USC student during the first edition, and I always watched the games with a kababayan, Brian, who like me, decided to forego our batch’s designated year to
graduate. After the morning games, we’d spend the rest of the afternoon at our favorite tambayan, downing our favorite beer.
We were firm believers of the adage, “to avoid a hangover, stay drunk” and I got so wasted one time, I couldn’t even remember how I got to submit a story.
That was then.
The past week, I spent most of it watching the games with another kababayan, Dr. Joel Pascual, who was there to watch his son Paolo play for USC in the Men’s Open.
Not a single drop of alcohol was involved.
Since USC’s coaches, Gary Panagsagan and Rocky Graciano, were attending a seminar, my favorite team seemed like an orphan in the CAFC.
Dondon Ramos, former coach Joshua Fegidero and a few players took turns at coaching the team. It’s too bad though that they failed to make the semis, winning only once. It could have been three wins for USC but the host couldn’t hold on to its lead a couple of times.
Covering the Interclub was seamless and it helped a lot that the media was welcomed, and not treated like intruders.
This different treatment was highlighted in the second day, when I got a tip from the organizers that a football mom went berserk. In other tournaments, you’d have to pry, if you can, information such as this from organizers.
The referees in the CAFC, too, are a god-send to reporters. They’re not prima donnas like some volleyball officials, or even snobs like some in tennis. They also don’t play hard-to-get like a few in those DepEd meets.
And when it’s a seamless coverage, everything just falls into place.
To CAFC, headed by Glen Quisido, Dino Musni, Dondon and the rest of those who worked hard, congratulations for a job well done.
And to the referees, headed by the amiable Kurt Acre, Archie Ramos and the rest, see you in the next Interclub.
I spent most of it covering CAFC’s 10th Interclub Invitational tournament—the only local tournament I covered by choice.
I didn’t plan to do it and all I wanted at first was to catch a few games. But since I pass by USC every day, I thought, why not cover the whole thing?
I’m sure glad I did since it’s fun to be a football reporter, all over again.
It’s been three years since I covered a football tournament, I’ve forgotten how fun it is.
I’ve forgotten too, that despite spending most of the games in the shade, you still sweat like a pig.
I love this tournament. I was there the first time the Cebu Amateur Football Club held it, and I’m glad I got to cover its 10th edition.
This tournament shows what a club can accomplish, once it settles and gets to work.
The club is run by folks who got to play football again because their sons and daughters are in the game and because of the sport’s surge a few years ago.
The result? You have a financially-sound tournament that players anticipate every year, one of only three 11-a-side events in Cebu.
The PFF also seems to agree and have asked the club to run the training for the RP 14-Under team.
The Interclub, too, brings a lot of memories.
I was still a USC student during the first edition, and I always watched the games with a kababayan, Brian, who like me, decided to forego our batch’s designated year to
graduate. After the morning games, we’d spend the rest of the afternoon at our favorite tambayan, downing our favorite beer.
We were firm believers of the adage, “to avoid a hangover, stay drunk” and I got so wasted one time, I couldn’t even remember how I got to submit a story.
That was then.
The past week, I spent most of it watching the games with another kababayan, Dr. Joel Pascual, who was there to watch his son Paolo play for USC in the Men’s Open.
Not a single drop of alcohol was involved.
Since USC’s coaches, Gary Panagsagan and Rocky Graciano, were attending a seminar, my favorite team seemed like an orphan in the CAFC.
Dondon Ramos, former coach Joshua Fegidero and a few players took turns at coaching the team. It’s too bad though that they failed to make the semis, winning only once. It could have been three wins for USC but the host couldn’t hold on to its lead a couple of times.
Covering the Interclub was seamless and it helped a lot that the media was welcomed, and not treated like intruders.
This different treatment was highlighted in the second day, when I got a tip from the organizers that a football mom went berserk. In other tournaments, you’d have to pry, if you can, information such as this from organizers.
The referees in the CAFC, too, are a god-send to reporters. They’re not prima donnas like some volleyball officials, or even snobs like some in tennis. They also don’t play hard-to-get like a few in those DepEd meets.
And when it’s a seamless coverage, everything just falls into place.
To CAFC, headed by Glen Quisido, Dino Musni, Dondon and the rest of those who worked hard, congratulations for a job well done.
And to the referees, headed by the amiable Kurt Acre, Archie Ramos and the rest, see you in the next Interclub.
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