AFTER spending the whole 2018 season of the Philippines Football League (PFL) in Manila, Global Cebu FC wants to stay where it should rightfully be, in Cebu City.
“We are seriously looking to make a permanent move to Cebu. It has a great footballing community unlike Manila,” said Mark Jarvis, who took over ownership of the club last July. “The move we are after is permanent. We will relocate the players and the staff. We need to work closely with everybody and this will be my focus this coming October.”
After an impressive season last year, Global Cebu FC was left in shambles after the club lost most of its players, along with its coaches because of financial woes.
Jarvis, the father of one of the players, took the club under his wing and helped save it.
He hopes to partner with both local and international companies, the Cebu Football Association (CFA) and the Cebu City government to revive the club’s former glory.
“As you know, we have struggled financially and our objective for 2018 was to survive. In 2019, we shall be seeking sponsorships and support from not only the big companies but also to get financial support within Cebu,” he said.
Jarvis said that Global Cebu FC hopes to raise funds and awareness of the club through different activities like sporting events and concerts.
“That (Aboitiz) is one of the many that we plan to contact. I will be contacting a number of people prior to our visit to Cebu next month where me and my team will speak to numerous organizations. We have spoken to the owner of Leylam and will discuss further in the coming weeks. We also have some international interest but I can’t discuss yet at this time,” he said.
Jarvis is also open to the possibility of the Dynamic HERB Sports Complex, which is still under construction, to become the club’s new home in the future.
“We are open to a partnership but as with any venue, it must meet FIFA/AFC requirements,” he said. “As per submission to PFL at this time, it’s (Cebu City Sports Center) the only pitch we can consider, hence discussions with local government is a must to get the support which I believe was missing previously. We believe the FA can assist on this matter also.”
Global Cebu FC drew a lot of flak from its Cebunao fans after announcing that all the matches of the club this year will be played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
“The Cebuano fans are a big factor in our planned move to Cebu. They missed out on 2018 and we don’t want that to happen in 2019. Next season is vital for the club and the sooner we can move, the better,” Jarvis said. “We had to make some quick signings in July after the exodus of many quality players. Some of these players will be part of 2019. But we shall be recruiting others, as a top two finish is what we want and enter in the AFC tournament once again. But first is to make the club financially viable. We believe that this can be achieved with a move to Cebu.” (EKA)