By Aine Peralta
After four years of being hosted exclusively in Masbate, the fifth annual Kieth Absalon Friendly Cup marked a historic milestone as it made its Manila debut last June 27 to 28 at the Far Eastern University Diliman (FEU-D) Football Pitch in Quezon City.
Prior to the Manila event, the multi-category tournament kicked off its first leg in the late-football standout’s hometown in Masbate last June 6 to 7.
The yearly tourney honors the memory of former FEU Tamaraw Booter Kieth Absalon, who was tragically killed alongside his cousin by a landmine explosion in 2021, transforming the pitch into a platform for both sport and justice.
Home turf homecoming
For the Absalon family, bringing the competition to the green-and-gold pitch was a deeply personal step.
Kieth spent half his life at FEU Diliman, rising from a sixth-grade recruit to a central figure in FEU’s historic 10-peat University Athletic Association of the Philippines junior’s championship streak, where he earned the Season 78 boys’ football Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Year honor.
In an interview with FEU Advocate, Nathalie Absalon, sister of both the late-Tamaraw and current green-and-gold booters Karl Absalon and Nathaniel Absalon II, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to host the tournament at FEU-D.
“For me, personally, super grateful ako kasi nadala namin ‘yung tournament ni Kuya sa Manila… Nadala namin dito para mas makilala pa at para mas maging alive pa ‘yung kuwento niya, ‘yung legacy niya, and background niya. At least, aware ‘yung mga tao at alive pa rin ‘yung Kieth Absalon na pangalan dahil ‘yun naman ang target namin, para ma-advocate ‘yung nangyari sa kaniya (For me, personally, I'm super grateful because we were able to bring my brother's tournament to Manila. We brought it here so that his story, his legacy, and his background would become more alive. At least, people are aware, and the name Kieth Absalon will stay alive because that's our target, to advocate for what happened to him),” she said.
Hurdles beyond the pitch
While the atmosphere on the pitch was filled with energy, mounting the tournament was no small feat for the Absalon family.
“‘Yung problem lang na na-encounter ko is ‘yung tao. Since, siyempre, ngayon mahirap na maghanap ng mga volunteer [kaya] budget ng pamilya namin lahat… expense namin. So ‘yun lang, nahirapan kami sa pag-organize… Ako ‘yung nagtrabaho lahat sa trophies [and] sa management, doon ako medyo challenged sa part na ‘yun (The only problem I encountered was the people. Since, of course, it's now hard to find volunteers, everything was spent using our family’s budget, our expenses. So that's it, we had a hard time organizing. I was the one who worked on the trophies and the management, that's where I was a bit challenged),” she admitted.
Beyond logistics, limited outreach proved to be another hurdle. Without a dedicated marketing team, scaling the tournament’s online presence became an uphill battle for Nathalie, who manages the event's digital footprint entirely on her own.
Pure grassroots grit
Despite these back-of-house challenges, the action on the pitch was nothing short of competitive excellence across various age groups.
The tournament drew a diverse field of 26 teams overall, competing across eight distinct divisions that spanned youth grassroots brackets up to the Men’s, Women’s, and veteran 40 Above categories.
In the marquee divisions, the FEU Lady Booters protected their home turf to capture the championship over Manila Nomads Football Club (FC) and Laos FC, led by MVP Dani Belicaria and Best Goalkeeper Blaine Barredo.
Meanwhile, the Men’s Open category paid homage to Kieth’s roots, as the Masbate Knights claimed the top spot, defeating 6/7 FC and fellow provincials Masbate Peps, with alum goalie Mon Diansuy winning Best Goalkeeper.
Looking ahead, the Absalon family remains determined to turn their grief into a celebration of life, sportsmanship, and a continuous call for justice, aiming to establish the Manila leg as an annual tradition.
“Hopefully pumayag 'yung FEU, if possible [na] once a year gawin namin 'to. Hangga't kaya namin, hangga't nandito pa kaming mga kapatid ni Kuya. Habang buhay kami, gusto namin dalhin at i-commemorate 'yung nangyari sa Kuya ko. Magpapa-tournament kami yearly as long as nandito kami (Hopefully FEU will agree, if it’s possible that we will do this once a year. As long as we can, as long as my brothers and I are still here. As long as we are alive, we want to bring and commemorate what happened to my brother. We will have a tournament annually as long as we are here),” Nathalie concluded.
With his name anchoring a tournament that unites sports communities from Masbate to Manila, Kieth Absalon’s legacy continues to play on through the next generation of football prospects, ensuring that his passion for the sport is never forgotten.
(Photo by Melvin James Urubio/FEU Advocate)