Pampanga to field Aeta athletes in Women's Kampeon Cup

MANILA, Philippines, April 13 ------ While other participating cities in the first ever AIA Vitality Women’s Kampeon Cup have put up the best composite squads for the tournament that kicks off this April 15 at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig, Pampanga has gone the complete opposite.

Team Pampanga will field a roster made up entirely of its indigenous people — the Aetas. Said head coach Mark Anthony Francisco, “On our side, we will showcase our Aeta players. We want to give them opportunities that can help their communities. We want to show people about the football that we play in the mountain (Mount Arayat and its north and south peaks).

Since 2009, there has been a move to introduce sports to the Aeta population. Among the early sports and competitions for the Aetas included track and field and archery. But of late, football has been championed. For the AIA Vitality Women’s Kampeon Cup, Pampanga is in Group A along with squads from Muntinlupa and Palawan.

Over at Group B are the sides from Cebu, Batangas and Palawan.

Teams from each group will compete against one another in a single round robin affair. The top two teams advance to the semifinals in a crossover series that will be played on Sunday, April 16. The finals is also slated for that same day. “Watch out for our Aeta players,” warned Francisco. “We will give our best, win or lose.”

The AIA Vitality Women’s Kampeon Cup will be televised live on the country’s biggest streaming service, TapGo TV.

Source: philstar.com