Green Windows supports PFC Cup Futsal

Green Windows Dormitel, a subsidiary of the FTC group of companies, has joined the corporate backers of the keenly-awaited PFC Cup Winners Cup Futsal Davao leg tournament which reels off on July 16 at the NCCC Mall Activity Area.

Green Windows thus becomes the official residence of the tournament organized by the Philippine Futsal Committee in cooperation with Bravetower Promotions, City Government of Davao, Phoenix Petroleum, Sun Cellular, NCCC Mall and Futsal de Davao. The tournament is sanctioned by the Davao Football Association.

Also throwing support to the event are official outfitter Accel, Star Sports Korea, Frenzy Condoms, EDCO and Sons Tent Rentals, S and G Ventures, Columbia Computer Center, Acer, Enervon HP, Enervon Tablets, Alaxan, The Village Sport, and Nivea.

The first ever futsal tournament to be played in a mall here has already attracted 21 teams with at least five more knocking on the door as waitlisted teams. Playing in the men’s division are Metro TMS, Club 34, Inter Davao United, Central United, Hooligans, Philippine Rabbies, Alia Orange FC, Igacos FC, S and G Ventures, Black Knights, Team Smileys, Solido FC, Montevista FC, University of Mindanao-Tagum, Malita FC and Nabunturan FC.

In the women’s division, DDS, Philippine Women’s College, ADDU-Solido FC, Black Knights and Cagayan de Oro FC.

Five teams are in the waitlist and will be taking the spot of any team that backs out. These are PNP Davao del Norte, Maco FC, Belisario FC, Oi Rogers and Lupon FC.

“We are limited to only 8 teams per eliminations per division. So far, the two eliminations for men are already filled up. The women’s division has three slots open,” said local organizer Neil Bravo.

The event, which serves as the official qualifying tournament for the PFC Cup Winners Cup National Finals this November in Manila, will be staging two eliminations on July 16 and 23 with the top four teams advancing to the Finals on August 7.

The tournament’s media partners are Business Mirror, Daily Tribune, Mindanao Daily Mirror, OneSport Magazine, Sports Radio, Wave 89.1, Wild FM, and Malaya Business Insight.

Radio Boracay supports beach football

Radio Boracay has inked as official radio partner of the exciting 2011 Kicksand Beach Football-Visayas leg which hits the sands of Boracay at the La Isla Bonita Resort this weekend.

106.1 FM Radio Boracay station manager Nigel Gamalong and F1 Event Solutions Executive Director Neil Bravo announced the agreement for media partnership a few days before the event’s Visayas leg kicks off in Boracay Island this weekend.

The Boracay leg serves as the Visayas stage of the beach football trilogy organized by the Beach Football Association of the Philippines and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Football Federation.

Subic Bay Waterfront hosted the first leg last April 16-17, La Isla Bonita Resort Boracay will take its turn this weekend while the final leg for Mindanao will be staged on June 11-12 at the scenic Bluejaz Resort and Waterpark in Samal Island.

The tournament, supported by major backers NIVEA Sun ad SEAIR, is open to all football clubs and will be part of a selection process for the men’s and women’s national beach football team. Manila FC won the men’s title and Libertas FC took the women’s crown in Subic.

BFAP President Mike Athab said that teams from Aklan, Iloilo, Bacolod and Cebu will be vying for honors in the Visayas leg in Boracay.

The other media partners for Kicksand are ABS-CBN, GMTV, 105.9 Mix FM, Mindanao Daily Mirror, Sunstar Davao and Aksyon Sports Radyo TV5.

F1 Event Solutions, Inc. is the official marketing group of the 2011 Kicksand series.

New beach football field facility in Bluejaz

Bluejaz Resort and Waterpark will be adding a beach football field as its latest amenity.

The popular resort just across Davao City at nearby Caliclic in Samal Island will formally bare its new sporting amenity when it hosts the 2011 Kicksand Beach Football Mindanao Leg on June 11-12.

The new beach football field was recently measured to fit standards by the Beach Football Association of the Philippines (BFAP) led by President Mike Athab and Mindanao officer-in-charge Neil Bravo. Also present were Bluejaz manager Ian Pescadero and Ronald Angcos of the Island Garden City of Samal Football Association.

“It will be a good football facility for Davao players who wish to play beach football. We are happy to partner with Bluejaz for the development of the sport and we invite players to come here and play once this facility is finished,” said Athab who flew in from Manila to inspect the venue and met with Davao Football Association and Davao del Norte Football Association officials over the weekend.

The new football field will be used in the Mindanao Leg of the 2011 Kicksand Beach Football series organized by the BFAP and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Football Federation.

NIVEA Sun and SEAIR are the major backers of the tournament with the support of the Department of Tourism Regional office headed by Regional Director Art Boncato, and event partners Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and La Isla Bonita Resort Boracay. Kicksand is also supported by media partners Aksyon Sports TV5, ABS-CBN, GMTV, Mindanao Daily Mirror, Sunstar Davao, and 105.9 Mix FM.

F1 Event Solutions, Inc. promotes Kicksand as its official marketing group.

Meantime, all is set for the Kicksand Visayas leg at the La Isla Bonita Resort this weekend. The women’s division will be played on May 28 while the men’s division is on May 29. In order to promote beach football to the countryside, the BFAP has waived the registration fees for the Visayas and Mindanao legs.

The tournament is open to all football clubs and will be part of a selection process for the men’s and women’s national beach football team. The Boracay leg will be the second leg of a trilogy that started in Subic last April 16-17 with Manila FC winning the men’s title and Libertas FC taking the women’s crown. The final leg in Mindanao will be staged on June 11-12 at the scenic Bluejaz Resort and Waterpark in Samal Island.

Kicksand goes to Bora and Davao

After a rousing first stop in Subic last month, the season’s most exciting summer sport goes to the finest resorts in Boracay and Davao.

I am talking about the 2011 Kicksand Beach Football Series, a baby of the Beach Football Association of the Philippines (BFAP) whose President Mike Athab I consider a brother.

Mike rang up this week to say he’s personally going to Boracay to set up the venue and other logistical requirements of the event which comes as the final summer spectacle in the country’s summer beach capital. Kicksand will be staged after the Hala Bola PBA All-Star Week which also goes to the island this month.

The Boracay leg will be hosted by Bamboo Resort Hotel whose owner Jonar Villanueva, now the President of Kiwanis Club of Boracay, has personally attended to the preparations of the event through his manager Jimmy Escotin.

For the Boracay leg, Visayas squads will be crowding for the men’s and women’s titles but some teams who took part in Subic are among those knocking on the door to conquer Boracay. According to Mike, some of the squads in Subic are asking for the details of the Boracay and Davao events and will most likely join the next two legs of the tournament.

The teams in the Subic joust were interestingly composed of some of the finest football players of the land. I am pretty sure that Visayas, with its rich football tradition, will also come up with their best squads in the Boracay leg. And when the tournament swings to Davao, expect fireworks at the beach of Bluejaz as the local teams will surely defend their turf where pride is at stake.

For the Davao leg, James Infiesto is coordinating with BFAP and marketing group F1 Event Solutions in the preparations. Mike is also set to visit Davao and take an ocular of the venue.

The Kicksand event is sure to boost sports tourism in Davao in the manner that sports tourism has been the formula that makes Boracay the most interesting place in the country to hold events. The event has enormous media values in virtually all media platforms as has been proven in the Subic event.

F1 Event Solutions made sure the Kicksand event will be staged in Davao for the first time. Years back though, beach football was introduced here during the time of my late mentor and Godfather Vic Sai. Mike remembered the two stagings of the event in the black sands of Times Beach and Bonguyan.

F1 was also responsible for hooking up with the Bamboo Resort Hotel Boracay for the second leg. All these, however, were made possible with the masterstroke of PSC Commissioner Chito Loyzaga who has backed up BFAP in its programs this year. PSC chairman Richie Garcia gave his worthy support to the BFAP program also through his senior executive assistant, Dabawenyo lawyer Guillermo Iroy, Jr.

We can only get excited from here on and by the time the sands blast in Bora and Davao.

Getting the kick in Subic

Off to a rousing start.

That's how I describe it. The F1 Events vehicle got off to a podium finish right on the first race of the season. I love the blinding speed at how things happen lately. Never mind some trips to the pitstop for some limp. But that's putting things rather on a figurative note.

The F1 Event crew spent the weekend at Subic Bay's Boardwalk Waterfront area for the kick-off leg of the 2011 Kicksand Beach Football Series. The event is a regular menu of the Beach Football Association of the Philippines (BFAP) and has been played in Subic since 2000. This year, BFAP President Mike Athab and his able sidekick Rea Villa are thinking of bigger things ahead. With F1's lift, BFAP is expanding its tournaments to the south with a swing in breath-taking Boracay and disarming Davao this May and June.

Before we move away from Subic though, here's looking back the kind of kick we got in Subic.

Talk about the competition? Tough. Real tough. The action was as simmering as summer. It was as close as it could get.

From the eliminations to the finals, the games were classic mano a mano.

When the sand cleared at Subic sundown on both Saturday and Sunday, Libertas FC frustrated a fighting Kick Me FC in the women's side while the Mama Sitas spiced-Manila FC escaped with a narrow win over Amihan FC via shootout in the men's competitions.

Beach football is fast and the action is limitless with the soft pitch. Very exciting. Can't wait to the next stop in Bora and Davao where a lot of teams should be starting to prepare by now for Kicksand.

See you at the beach.