Here’s hoping Hyundai Cup gets bigger

I hope other companies will take Hyundai’s lead and hold a national tournament of their own (Here’s looking at you Suzuki)

Idropped by the Hyundai Cup the other day because I wanted to see for myself the latest member of Cebu's football community. Only the tournament is new as all the others involved--players and officials--are with the football community.

Having been used to football festivals for the past few months, it was quite refreshing to see the full game for the first time and like the rest of the officials and players, we hope the Hyundai Cup this year will just be the first of many. Though there are just five teams in the initial event, I think the Hyundai Cup will be one event that schools will look forward to in the school year, more than they look forward to events like the SunStar Cup and even the Thirsty Cup.

Schools form their team early in the school year and this 11-a-side event could be a perfect gauge on how the players have improved since it's held just as the school year closes, giving coaches a chance to plan ahead for next year. There's a little bit of luck involved in seven-a-side games, and sometimes one goal is what's needed to win. That's not true for the Hyundai CUp.

I like the plan of the organizers too to hold similar tournaments in other areas and to pit the champions against each other in some sort of a Champions League for the 15-Under bracket. That has been my dream since the Coke Go for Goal and Adidas tournaments went kaput years ago. For years, I've hoped that one company would step in and sponsor a nationwide tournament even in a smaller scale and it's great that Hyundai did.

Though it won't be really be a national tournament, pitting champions from the Hyundai Cup in Cebu, against those in Tacloban, Bacolod, Iloilo or Davao is what the age group needs. The 12-year-olds have the Palarong Pambansa, so too do the 18-yearolds in high school. Those caught in between are either too old for the elementary division, or too young for the high school division, giving them a tournament of their own will be a huge boost to their development.

I hope other companies will take Hyundai's lead and hold a national tournament of their own (Here's looking at you Suzuki). Companies who have presence in places in the country where football has a strong following—Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City to name a few—can copy Hyundai's formula and hold local events before pitting the champions in a finale.

Hyundai's got the Boys 15 age group, so perhaps one other company can take care of the Girls 15 age group?