UST, Ateneo bets hope to get better

THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas and Ateneo  booters placed  second and fifth, respectively,  in last year’s UAAP football season.

This year, though, both  squads are hoping to get better and tougher,  and coaches  of both teams  said a stint in  the maiden offering of the 2012 IPPCA Football Pre-Season Cup will definitely  help  their  respective squads get ready  for the next football season.

The IPPCA Football Cup organized by Filoil Flying V Sports and sponsored by Nuvali,  Molten, N20 Gastropub,  Boysen Pints, Nature’s Spring, Star Sports Korea/Topcoms  and Bacchus Energy Drink is  collegiate football’s  first-ever preseason offering, Pitting 14 UAAP-NCAA squads, two guest teams and ten junior teams.

The month-long tournament kicks  off  on Oct. 14, Sunday,  at the Nuvali football field in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and elimination games will be held every Sunday on the same venue, except for the semis and the finals, which will be held at Rizal  Memorial Football Stadium. “This tournament comes at a very perfect timing for us.  In the past,  there were pre-season football tournaments,  but not all teams are entered.  This  time,  we get to play as a team and sharpen our skills against the best teams from both leagues,” said UST coach Marjo Allado, who steer the Tigers to the 2008 title.