CEBU City is getting ready to welcome the opening of the SM Seaside Arena on July 9, a 25,000-seat indoor venue that is projected to rival the best Metro Manila could offer and help establish the highly-urbanized central Visayas city as a viable alternative for grand festivities, including major sports events.
The new facility is probably a version of SM's Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City that over the years since its opening in 2012, has also become a venue of choice for sports, concerts and other activites requiring a big air-conditioned covered arena.
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The PBA, according to SPIN.ph sources, is already looking at the arena as venue for its Cebu games. Also showing interest, the same sources said, are the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the East Asia Super League (EASL).
For starters, the Cebu Arena will hold its first big event this Saturday (July 11) with the holding of the BINI Cignals: Anniversary Celebration, featuring the popular all-female, all-Filipino pop group formed by a defunct broadcast company.
The PBA can still hold playoff matches for its Season 50 Governors Cup later this year, but there might not be enough time to fix the schedule and most likely, the league will play in the new venue in Season 51.
The SBP on the other hand, previously hinted bringing some of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup games down South in 2027. The country was chosen as host of the continental meet last year by the FIBA Regional Office-Asia.
EASL CEO Henry Kerins, meanwhile, likewise expressed the intention of holding the 2027 EASL Finals at the new playing arena located within the SM Seaside Complex, as per SPIN.ph sources.
The regional league hosted the 2024 EASL Final Four at the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, which proved to be a huge success even without a Filipino team.
A week after the BINI concert, the Filipino rock band IV of Spades holds court at the venue on July 18, followed by TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan on September 5, and American pop band LANY on November 6 and 12 as part of its ‘Soft World Tour.’ - Gerry Ramos
PCU Dolphins seek Jayson help in bid for NCAA comeback
Philippine Christian University is eyeing a return to the NCAA, according to sources.
SPIN.ph has learned that the PCU management has been exploring the possibility of rejoining the league where it once won the championship. PCU was a NCAA member from 1996 to 2007 and again from 2008 to 2009.
PCU has reportedly contacted its most famous alumnus, the multi-awarded PBA star Jayson Castro of TNT, to sound him out about the school's intention and, very likely, seek his help to get the NCAA management to consider PCU's return, a source said.
Castro was the spearhead of the team that won PCU its only NCAA crown in 2004. The team also had PBA veterans Beau Belga and Gabby Espinas in the lineup.
But PCU got into a controversy when it was suspended during the 2007-08 season due to player eligibility issues.
The Dolphins later came back during the 2008-09 season after serving the suspension, but later filed an indefinite leave of absence the following season. While out of the NCAA, PCU competed in other collegiate leagues.
The last time the NCAA admitted a new school was in 2011 when it accepted Lyceum of the Philippines University. It recently brought Centro Escolar University and Our Lady of Fatima University as guest teams for Season 101, but the schools were allowed to compete only in esports. - Reuben Terrado
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