THE University of the Philippines Cebu men’s football team is setting a lofty goal–win the collegiate football title of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc.
Cesafi’s latest member is taking the first step towards that lofty goal by signing renowned coach Glen Ramos as its program director for football.
“The first major step is to hire an (AFC) A License coach to oversee the direction of our program,” said Alvin Roxas.
Ramos is an experienced coach who has won numerous Palarong Pambansa titles for DBTC and the Cesafi crown twice for the University of Cebu.
UP Cebu joined the Cesafi last year, losing seven matches and drawing once.
This year, it lost to six-time defending champion University of San Carlos (USC), 2-0, and stunned the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF), 1-0, for its first ever win.
“We are also expanding training and our recruitment, then we will align our programs. including opening a high school team,” said Roxas.
To help fund such project, Roxas said they are also looking for sponsors to provide lodging, among others, for their athletes, who now enjoy full scholarships.
UP athletes are under the Varsity Athletics Admission System, a program aimed to admit individuals with special skills or talented athletes to become UP varsity members without the need of passing the UP College Admission Test.
Only four teams have won the Cesafi football title, with USC having the most titles at nine and the University of San Jose-Recoletos next at eight. The University of Cebu, which disbanded this year, won twice, while the University of the Visayas won once in 2005, the first team to end USJ-R’s run of four titles.