For two weekends, the rivalry between the Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University was relived at the 1st Ateneo-La Salle Alumni Football Cup.

The special tournament had five divisions: Women’s, Men’s 21-30, Men’s 31-39, Men’s 40+ and Men’s 45+.

During Matchday 1, which was held on November 15 at the De La Salle Zobel Football Field, Ateneo won in the Men’s 21-30, Men’s 40+ and Men’s 45+ divisions, while La Salle won in the Women’s division. Both schools tied in the Men’s 31-39 division

La Salle won 3 out of the 5 games in Matchday 2 held on December 6 at the Ateneo Football Field, but their wins were not enough to recover from the losses on Matchday 1. In the end, Ateneo emerged as the over-all champions

“Our objective is to celebrate the rivalry of Ateneo and La Salle through football,” says La Salle’s Bixie Reyes, one of the organizers.

The duel had football luminaries on both teams. On the Ateneo side there were Stallions FC Coach Ernie Nierras and former Men’s National Team player Rely San Agustin; La Salle, meanwhile, had Green Archers United Technical Director Hans Smit and former National Team player Alvin Ocampo.

But Reyes emphasizes that even non-varsity players were welcome to be part of the Cup. “Even if you did not play for your school, as long as you know how to play football and you studied in either La Salle or Ateneo for at least two years, you can join.”

The Ateneo-La Salle Alumni Football Cup was already conceptualized several years ago by avid footballers from both schools. “The goal was to have a venue for alumni to play football so that we could relive the passion for this sport that we love,” explains Reyes.

The plan came to fruition when Reyes got a call from San Agustin early this year to get the project off the ground. Logistical assistance from fellow organizers such as La Salle’s Alvi Siongco and Mike del Rosario, And Ateneo’s Paolo Buendia and Joey Prats (of the Weekend Futbol League), as well as enthusiasm from supporters have resulted in a very memorable Ateneo-La Salle Football Cup 2015.

“It was a great tournament,” said Martin Lacdao who played for Ateneo in the Men’s 45+ division. His sentiment was echoed by teammate Hubert Guevara who said, “It was such a wonderful event. Looking forward to next year’s football cup.”

Reyes, who designed the team jerseys, reveals that the uniforms have both green and blue hues. “There’s green piping on the sleeve of the Ateneo jersey and there’s a blue piping on the sleeve of the La Salle jersey,” says Reyes. “This is probably the only time you will see the color green on an Ateneo jersey and the color blue on a La Salle jersey.”

The participants and the supporters appreciated that touch, so much so that orders for the shirts are still being placed days after Matchday 2.

The rivalry between Ateneo and La Salle can be the most heated especially among the UAAP schools, but Reyes says as far as their football duel is concerned, the competition remains fun. “The rivalry will not exist without the other school,” he points out.

For 2016, Reyes and his co-organizers are planning a bigger tournament. “We’re talking about having more divisions so more alumni can play. We hope to have food and merchandise booths so that the players can bring their families and make the event a family outing. But the biggest hope is that what we started with the Ateneo-La Salle alumni football will also be done with other sports like basketball and volleyball. ”

Photos by Paula Andrea Marie Puri, Mike del Rosario, and Ramon Barredo

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