Aboitiz Cup ready for 23rd season

The Outlets in Lipa will once again serve as a regional football hub, with the start of the Aboitiz Football Cup this coming November at the largest multi-sports artificial turf in Luzon, the Aboitiz Pitch.

The pre-eminent seven-a-side football festival is considered as the longest-running grassroots football competition in country, heading into their 23rd edition starting November 11.

In welcoming the event, LIMA Estate Vice President for Operations Clifford Academia shares, "The Aboitiz Football Cup goes beyond the boundaries of the playing field. It's about more than just the game; it's about character development, youth empowerment, and community engagement. The tournament serves as a beacon for social inclusion, integration, good health, and overall well-being in our communities."

It is composed of multiple one-day football festivals, spread out between November 11 to December 9, ranging from the under-7s to the open and veterans category.

Set to grace the opening for the 23rd edition is the newly-installed General Secretary of the Philippine Football Federation Coco Torre, as well as potentially one or two national team standouts.

Last year's edition drew over a hundred teams with close to 1600 players.

In addition, the competition will have football clinics in conjunction with Football Lipa, tapping the kids within the community, with outstanding participants potentially becoming scholars within Football Lipa.

They will also introduce a football events management course scheduled in December for interested participants, which is an extension of their coaching course they held the previous year, allowing them to not only help start up football clubs, but also allow them to set up their own football festivals within their respective communities.

The event is being organized by the RSA1 Sports Group and LIMA Estate.

Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham: The blossoming friendship and future of Real Madrid

Jude Bellingham has needed no adaptation time after joining Real Madrid in the summer. The England international has taken LALIGA EA SPORTS by storm, having already scored eight goals in nine games. Bellingham has also recorded three assists across all competitions, two of which served for Vini Jr. to get his name on the scoresheet. The connection between the two men is blossoming on and off the pitch, but everything started way before Bellingham penned his Real Madrid contract.

Convincing Bellingham to join Real Madrid

When it became clear that Bellingham would be leaving Borussia Dortmund, several European powerhouses approached the midfielder in their bid to acquire his services. Despite having received more lucrative offers from other teams, Bellingham decided to move Los Blancos and explained the reasoning behind his decision in his presentation. “Money’s not a big thing for me,” he noted. “I don’t think about money when I make these kinds of decisions. I play for the love of the game. I loved the feeling I got from the club. I told them straight away what I felt about the club. It’s not the case that the other teams were bad or not good, but Real Madrid is the greatest.” 

Real Madrid directors had presented the Englishman with an attractive sporting project, but Vini Jr. also operated behind the scenes, messaging the Englishman relentlessly in his bid to convince him that Los Blancos would be the best option. “I wanted Bellingham at Real Madrid,” the Brazilian forward declared earlier this month. “I sent a lot of messages to Jude last year. I was texting him almost every day and telling him to come to Madrid.”

Their connection on the pitch

Following Karim Benzema’s departure, coach Carlo Ancelotti has opted for a 4-4-2 diamond formation, with Bellingham in a playmaking role behind the two forwards. The 20-year-old midfielder often drops to the left, where he combines smoothly with Vini Jr. , offering spectacle for fans and causing havoc to opposition defences. “What we ask of Vini is that he looks for the position he is best at, and Bellingham adapts to that,” Ancelotti explained after Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Napoli, where Bellingham set up his teammate for Los Blancos’ first goal. “They combined well, they offer a lot of creativity. Having both of them on the left flank creates a lot of danger.” 

Bellingham also scored an extraordinary goal in that same game and headed to the corner to make his trademark open-hand celebration. Vini Jr. ran to celebrate with his teammate, kneeled down in front of him and pretended that he was taking a photo of the England international. “He is incredible,” the Brazilian later said. “He was born to play for Real Madrid and to mark an era in the biggest team in the world. Hopefully ours will be a connection for many years to come because we are going to play together here for a long time. I’m delighted with him. He is one of the best players at a young age. We are all happy and the fans are really enjoying it.”

Vini Jr. and Bellingham’s social media jokes

The two youngsters have also gelled off the pitch, something made clear from their hilarious exchanges on social media. After scoring in Real Madrid’s 4-0 home victory over CA Osasuna, Vini Jr. performed his favourite dancing celebration along with Eduardo Camavinga. The moment was captured by photographers and Bellingham didn’t hesitate to tease his teammates when the image was shared on social media, jokingly criticising their dancing skills. Both Vini Jr. and Camavinga invited their teammate to join them next time they celebrate a goal, with Bellingham publicly accepting the challenge.  

Even if Bellingham isn’t convinced by the dancing skills, he does believe Vinícius is the best footballer on the planet “He is probably the best in the world for me,” Bellingham stressed earlier this month. “He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever played with.” While Real Madrid fans can’t wait to see the two prodigies showing off their dancing moves after further goals, Vini Jr.and Bellingham are working on polishing their partnership on the pitch, keen to cement themselves as the best attacking duo in European football.

Rolling Stones logo set to feature in Barcelona El Clasico kit

The jersey Barça will wear for ElClásico on 28 October will once again become an iconic garment that is set to grab worldwide attention. The Tongue and Lips logo of The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood) will replace the Spotify logo on the legendary FC Barcelona kit, putting the band that has played the iconic stages of the world on the global stage of LALIGA EA SPORTS. 

The Rolling Stones’ iconic sound has been the backdrop for listeners worldwide on Spotify, soundtracking the lives of fans near and far, young and old, which more than justifies them featuring on the Barça jersey. However, they have been chosen now because their latest album, Hackney Diamonds, is being released on 20 October and is their first album of original material in 18 years, a long-awaited and triumphant return after eighteen years. 

In addition to featuring on the jersey for the FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid game on 28 October at the Estadi Olímpic Lluis Companys, the Stones’ Tongue and Lips logo will also appear on the front of the women’s jersey for the Liga F game against Sevilla FC on 5 November at Estadi Johan Cruyff. 

The band said: “We’re huge football fans and honoured that Spotify have brought our Tongue & Lips logo to grace the FC Barcelona shirt to celebrate the release of the Stones’ new ‘Hackney Diamonds’ album. We’ll be cheering on the players on the pitch as well as fans around the world who will be tuning in to watch this iconic match.”

The Rolling Stones are the latest recording artists to grace the front of the famous Blaugrana shirt for ElClasico matches against Real Madrid. In their first LALIGA encounter last season, Barça’s kit featured the Drake logo; their kit for the return match at Camp Nou featured Barcelona-born star Rosalía’s “Motomami” logo.

Two major names set to make El Clasico debut

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will meet this Saturday in ElClasico, which will be the 255th meeting of these two clubs in official competition, with the head-to-head record so finely balanced. Real Madrid have won 102 encounters, FC Barcelona 100 and in the remaining 52 they have drawn. This is a historic rivalry that goes back more than 100 years and that will be experienced, for the first time, by the talented summer signings like João Félix, Jude Bellingham, Kepa Arrizabalaga and João Cancelo.

Without forgetting the impressive start to the season of Girona FC, the main prize at stake in this game is the potential to finish the matchday as the leader of LALIGA EA SPORTS. That only adds to the usual tension that comes with this match. On this occasion, it’ll be taking place in a new setting, at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, given that Los Azulgrana’s usual home ground, the Spotify Camp Nou, is currently being redeveloped. As such, this rivalry will move to a new stadium, similar to what occurred when the match was played at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano during the Covid pandemic.   

Both teams have made a strong start to the season, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side taking 25 points and Xavi Hernandez’s charges collecting 24 in the 10 games played so far. The capital city side come into the clash on the back of a draw against Sevilla FC, while the Catalan outfit managed to overcome Athletic Club in the final minutes in another thrilling game last matchday.

Barça have yet to lose at their new stadium and have won all five LALIGA EA SPORTS matches they have played at Montjuïc, living up to the nickname of this being a magic mountain. Los Blancos will be keen to break that streak and get back to winning ways at their opponents’ stadium. Last season, Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat in the away ElClasico in league play, but they had won 2-1 and 3-1 respectively when visiting FC Barcelona in 2021/22 and 2020/21.

In terms of absentees, Xavi will be without the injured Frenkie de Jong and Jules Koundé, while Real Madrid have been without Thibaut Courtois and Éder Militão all season due to serious knee injuries. Although those are significant losses for both coaches in ElClasico, these players can be replaced by other top talents.

Real Madrid have the competition’s top scorer, in England’s Jude Bellingham, who has scored eight goals to start the season and who will go up against last season’s Pichichi, Robert Lewandowski, who has already netted five this term. Those two world-class stars will be joined by others such as Vinícius, João Félix, Rodrygo and Ferran Torres, all of whom will be targeting a goal in ElClasico.

Between the posts, they’ll face two giants, in Marc-André ter Stegen and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Meanwhile, the defensive lines will be marshalled by Ronald Araújo and Antonio Rüdiger. There is also so much talent in the midfield, where Gavi, Eduardo Camavinga, İlkay Gündoğan, Fede Valverde and co. will get to work. On top of that, this fixture brings together two top coaches, who boast the brains and experience to succeed in this type of top-level scenario. This is ElClasico, with new faces but with all the importance and weight of the history of both these shirts.

ISAA opens 15th season

With a theme of “Moving On, Stronger Together, 2.0,” the 15th season of the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association (ISAA) commenced on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Hosted by Air Link International Aviation College as part of its 40th foundation anniversary, the day consisted of six basketball matches, including five games involving the ten participating schools in the seniors division.

Two of the matches involved the hosts and ended up with mixed results. The Blazing Phoenix fell short against defending juniors champions La Consolacion College – Manila, 83-75. Their seniors’ counterparts would then pull off a come-from-behind 74-71 win over the University of Asia and the Pacific.

The other results saw defending seniors champions La Consolacion College-Manila fend off Immaculada Concepcion College, 76-71. Opening the action in the morning was Treston defeating ICCT, 72-70.

Closing things out were PATTS’ 68-48 win over St. Dominic College of Asia, and WCC’s 76-60 triumph of PWU.

Aside from the games, the league also held their Opening Ceremonies in the afternoon in between ALIAC’s games. It included performances by the ALIAC Aliyah Chorale, ALIAC Aliyah Dance Company, the Phoenix Pep Squad, as well as select performers from their fellow ISAA member-schools in a “The Greatest Showman-” inspired number.

For ALIAC chairman and CEO Atty. Dr. Gomeriano V. Amurao, “It’s a fantastic journey for our school. It took us 40 years to get here, and we would like to convey our appreciation to the ISAA management, its officers and board for giving our modest school the opportunity to showcase its abundant talent and skills.”

Andre Ober from the defending champions La Consolacion College – Manila administered the oath of sportsmanship for his fellow student-athletes.

This season proves to be a historic one for ISAA with their partnership with Sinag Liga Asya, securing broadcast of the entirety of the league’s basketball tournament, both for its juniors and seniors division. Representing the SLA officials in the event are Chairman Rocky Chan and COO Leo Isaac.

Chan believes that this is the start of a bigger things to come between both sides.

Overseas teams set for NBTC participation

The quest to discover the next Filipino baller continues with fourteenth edition of the National Basketball Training Center.

And with the diaspora making themselves more relevant in the grassroots scene, the SMART-NBTC National Finals presented by SM Supermalls will provide an opportunity for these players to be recognized.

Ten slots have been allocated for overseas-based teams, with teams from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East set to participate.

NBTC program director Eric Altamirano shares, "This is part of our continuing commitment to Philippine basketball, as we not only uplift the grassroots level through our Local City Qualifiers, but also try to track down more young players who have Filipino blood that have tremendous potential to help our national team in the future."

To comprise each overseas team in the field, talent identification camps are already being established in order to get the squads ready for the National Finals scheduled this coming March at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Among the notable players that have come from these overseas teams are current Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, who was part of FilAm Sports-USA's squad before plying his trade with the G League Ignite. Another product of FilAm Sports-USA is Kai Ballungay, who helped Ateneo win a UAAP championship last year. His current teammate with the Blue Eagles, Mason Amos, was part of Camp David-New Zealand before matriculating at Loyola Heights.

The NBTC has also shared a little bit of light on the remaining two available berths, which is to be determined through a pre-qualifying tournament.

Scheduled for March 14-16, said tournament will involve aspiring international clubs, as well as outstanding LCQ teams that fell short in their respective Regional Championships. Half of the National Finals field is coming from the RCs, as the semifinalists from the four locations: North and South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, each earn a spot.

The RCs are expected to be streamed through the NBTC's Facebook page, thanks to the assistance of program partners like Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc, Batangas City Mayor Beverley Rose A. Dimacuha-Mariño and the University of Batangas, and the Cebu Landmasters.

The National Finals will also be streamed there as well, while also being broadcast on both the SMART Livestream app and the Facebook page of SMART Sports.

The field will be completed by the finalists of the UAAP and NCAA HS basketball competitions.

NBTC tweaked up for 14th season

The 14th season of the National Basketball Training Center will see a new look for the organization, as it remains committed towards grassroots development.

Meeting with the media at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday, program director Eric Altamirano said that the NBTC will continue to develop skills, build character, and raise leaders, while at the same time continue to march forward into the future wearing a fresh coat of paint.

He explains, "It’s the NBTC’s way of keeping up with the times while also staying true to its core values."

For the 2024 edition of the under-19 championship, the NBTC will have 72 Local City Qualifiers in 96 different cities. All roads would then lead to the four Regional Championships in North and South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with spots in the SMART-NBTC National Finals presented by SM Supermalls on the line.

The finalists of the UAAP and NCAA HS divisions will secure automatic spots, with a couple of yet-to-be-determined wildcards. The last berths are then to be allocated to teams based overseas.

In explaining the adjustments, competition-wise, Altamirano shares, "We want to empower the local players, so that they can see a pathway for them to really earn their place among the best."

Matches at the National Finals this coming March are expected to take place next year at the Mall of Asia Arena, with fans worldwide able to check it out through the SMART LiveStream app and the Facebook pages of the NBTC and SMART Sports. As for the regional championships, the NBTC page on Facebook is expected to show the games, thanks to the support of program partners like Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc, the University of Batangas, and the Cebu Landmasters.

Aside from the games, the NBTC is expected to raise its social media profile, with an upcoming #LakingNBTC campaign set for launch, highlighting on its growing alumni base.

Noted participants in the competition include Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, recent national team call-ups Kevin Alas, Scottie Thompson, and Arvin Tolentino, current B-League standouts Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, as well as Carl Tamayo, and current collegiate standouts JD Cagulangan, CJ Cansino, and Will Gozum.