SEVEN-A-SIDE football will take the limelight when the 2nd AIA Vitality Kampeon Cup kicks off on October 14-16 at the La Provincia Polo Field in Bacolod City.

Six teams three in each group will all see action in the three-day competition organized by former national player and Kampeon Cup founder Anton del Rosario as part of the efforts to discover fresh talents from the countryside.

The participating teams are host Bacolod, Pampanga and San Carlos in Group A and defending champion Cebu, Iloilo and BGC in Group B.

The tournament is a single round and the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.

Del Rosario said one of the objectives of the Kampeon Cup is to discover new talents and provide them a platform to showcase their skills.

“There’s a lot of talent outside of the city here which gets overlooked and we want to provide the opportunity to those talents across the country and put them on the pedestal where everybody can see them at the top level,” said Del Rosario during the AIA Vitality Kampeon Cup press conference at the Studio 300 in Pasig City last Monday.

“The Kampeon Cup is all about being able to provide the opportunity to those players to be able to showcase that ‘hey there is a future for football in the country,” added Del Rosario.

Del Rosario also recalled when the BGC team composed of some former national and PFL players got shocked by unknown Cebuano squad during the inaugural season.

Del Rosario and AIA Vitality are also planning to bring teams from Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore in March 2023 for the 3rd season.

The goal for the Kampeon Cup is to be an international tournament where teams from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and others come over to participate,” claimed Del Rosario.

“Now that will not only help the sport on a national level but also foster better relations with our neighbors.”

The national 7-a-side football tournament was supposed to be held in Cebu in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted sports.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya