• A. V. DEL CARMEN
At least 17 age-group teams will see action in the Brazilian Jericho Soccer Academy National Inter-Club Football Cup which is scheduled in Bacolod City tomorrow and Saturday.
The tournament will be held at La Provincia Open Fields (formerly the Bantug Polo Field) at Barangay Granada in Bacolod City.
John Carmona, BJSA director and franchise holder, said the matches will be played in the Under-8, U-10, U-12 and U-13 age groups.
The U-8 (seven-a-side) and U-10 groups (nine-a-side) will be played with mixed boy-and-girl players, while the two other groups will be an all boys-9-a-side competition.
The participating teams are Don Bosco Cebu FC, Crocs FC (Davao) Real Amigos FC (Ormoc), Dolphins FC (Bacolod City/Negros Occidental) and the Azkals Development Academy (Metro Manila).
The ADA management is led by Stephan Schrock, former captain of the Azkals PFF national team.
At the same time, Carmona said, all participating teams are managed by Philippine Football Federation-licensed coaches.
“Through this competition, we hope to bring quality matches to our province and expose our players to big football clubs from Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao,” he said.
Carmona added that matches in the tournament will have longer duration and with the office rules applied.
Matches will be played for U-13 players for 25 minutes for each of the two periods.
For the U-12 and U-10 teams, a 20-minute time is allocated for each half and 15 minutes for the U-8 players.
A 10-minute halftime break is set for all groups, he added.
Teams will play two matches per day, with the match for third place and the championship scheduled on Sunday afternoon.
“The games will be played on a wide field and we expect quality and fun matches,” the tournament official said.
Other than holding football tournament festivals, Carmona said, the academy has a year-round program, including its football summer camp.
Carmona, a former member of the national team and a La Salle and Recoletos varsity standout, acquired the BJSA franchise from its Singapore hub and launched it in March 2022, when contact sports events resumed following the pandemic. | AVDC
