MANILA, Philippines – In an unprecedented move, the UAAP has added the Claret School of Quezon City and the PAREF Southridge School in Alabang, Muntinlupa, to its high school boys’ football tournament in January 2025.
The two additional schools increased the number of participating teams to six, activating a Final Four semifinal format for the Season 87 tournament.
According to UAAP executive director Rebo Saguisag, the two schools’ inclusion will not only expand the league’s athletic reach, but also boost the national sports program for football.
“This is to support the national sports program,” said Saguisag in a signing ceremony in UP Diliman on Thursday, November 28.
“We want to start them young. We know these schools have a long tradition of football in the high school ranks,” he added.
Claret, known as the Red Roosters, has been a dominant force in the Rizal Football Association (RIFA), winning the most recent high school open tournament last March.
Claret’s products from yesteryears have been a fixture in UAAP seniors’ football tournaments, mostly playing with the UP Fighting Maroons.
Some notable names from Claret are UAAP Season 63 MVP Ariel Zerrudo, Season 71 MVP Jed Rances, former UST head coach Dodjie Locsin, and Philippine Football League legend Raymond Abo, among others.
Meanwhile, the Southridge Admirals have been producing national team players in recent years, namely Sandro Reyes, a midfielder for the Regionalliga’s West club FC Gütersloh, Matteo Mercado, Francis Poticano, and Leonardo Garcia.
According to the UAAP board, there were two other schools invited for the expansion, but it ultimately fell through.
Initial discussions started last year, before the schools were contacted about the possibility of joining the UAAP.
“It started by simply just sending them emails and patiently waiting for a response. And then we thought these are the top two teams we trust that will be able to perform in the UAAP,” said football commissioner Rely San Augustin.
The FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws have ruled the high school football tournament for 12 straight seasons.
Aside from the Baby Tamaraws, the Ateneo Blue Eagles, the De La Salle-Zobel Junior Green Booters, and the UST Junior Golden Booters make up the usual four-team high school tournament.
“This is going to be really an exciting tournament this year, since we are going from four to six teams, and a mix of old and new faces in the field,” San Augustin said.
The Season 87 boys’ football tilt is scheduled to start on January 18, 2025, at the UP Football Pitch. – Rappler.com