VACATION is officially over for the Ceres Negros FC as the Busmen returned to training at the North Field in Talisay City.

This marked the start of the team's tough preparation ahead of the Philippines Football League and the 2017 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup Group Stage.

Ceres Negros FC is among the initial teams in the Philippine Football League tentatively kicking off this March. The provincial club will most likely face familiar opponents such as arch rival Global FC which is undergoing adoption procedure with Cebu Football Association.

Ceres has for the second straight year qualified to the AFC Cup and will join Tampines Rovers or Geylang International of Singapore, Malaysia's Felda United, and Ha Noi T&T or SHB Ðà N?ng of Vietnam in Group G.

The pride of Negros will host home games at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

Meanwhile, Rovers and Ha Noi T&T will be seeing action in the AFC Champions League play-off. If both advance to the league's group stage, Geylang and SHB will take their respective spots.

Ceres Negros FC team manager James Dinsay said that the official roster might be announced next week.

Panaad Stadium, which hosted the AFC Cup Group C home matches against teams from Singapore, Malaysia and Bangladesh and Hong Kong's South China AA during the Round of 16, will again be refurbished and improved for the coming games.