The Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), colloquially referred to as Abellana, is a sports complex in

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

. It is also known for being the main venue of the annual Sinulog festival.

History

Former Abellana Stadium

The land where the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) currently stands was used by the Abellana National School in the 1960s and 1970s for school activities including the grandstand structure. The Cebu City government allegedly gave the land to the Abellana school through deeds of donation in 1963 and 1973. The structure then was known as the Abellana National Stadium. The site which has already become dilapidated by 1992.

Cebu City Sports Center

The Cebu City government filed a bid to host the 1994 Palarong Pambansa in 1992 and the Abellana National Stadium was proposed to be the main venue of the games. The new facility costing opened as the Cebu City Sports Center in time for the national student-athlete competition which opened in April 1994. The initial facilities include the grandstand and track oval, the gymnasium and swimming pool area. The track oval underwent major renovation in 2012. The CCSC was closed in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and later used as an isolation facility starting 2021. It reopened for regular public use in February 2022. In May, 2024, the Cebu City Council granted P65 million budget for CCSC

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, o ...

. Its track oval was closed from May 18, 2023, forcing practicing athletes to use the

Cebu Business Park Cebu Business Park (CBP) is a 50-hectare master-planned development in Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines. Cebu Holdings, an affiliate of Ayala Land, is currently responsible for the development of Cebu Business Park. Integrating business, residential ...

. The swimming pool area was also renovated including the conversion of the children's pool to a practice area. CCSC is the final venue for the 64th Palarong Pambansa according to acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. The venue reopened on June 27, 2024.

Ownership

The Cebu City Sports Center is owned and ran by the Cebu City government. However, the ownership of the lot where the sports complex stands has long been disputed between the Abellana National School and the Cebu City government. The sports complex is still colloquially referred to as "Abellana".

Usage

The Cebu City Sports Center was built as a multi-purpose facility for sports competitions and concerts. The CCSC has been the traditional venue of the Sinulog Festival run by the Sinulog Foundation since 1996. The festival was briefly held at the

South Road Properties The South Road Properties (SRP), also known as the South Reclamation Project, is a land reclamation, reclamation area in Cebu City, Philippines. The area, which is reclaimed from Mactan Channel, is located off the coast of the Cebu City's 2nd ...

in 2023 and 2024 before returning to the CCSC. Philippines Football League club

Global Cebu F.C. Global Football Club was a professional association football, football club that last played in the Philippines Football League (PFL), the top flight of Philippines' football in the Philippines, club football. The club has won four league title ...

used the CCSC as their home venue in 2017. Although by the 2018 season, Global has reverted playing their home games in Manila.

Other notable events

In November 2012, the stadium hosted its first ever

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

international football match, a friendly between the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, which ended in a 1–0 win for the Philippines. In 2014, the Philippines national team returned to the stadium in a friendly match against

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, ending in a 0–0 draw.

Facilities

The Cebu City Sports Center has a main stadium with a track oval and a 8,000-seater grandstand, although it has a full capacity of 12,000 people. The sports complex's aquatic center has a 10-lane swimming pool and a practice swimming area, as well as its own grandstand. The CCSC also has a multi-purpose gym.

References

External links

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Cebu City Sports Centre picture of the main stand
{{Cebu City Buildings and structures in Cebu City Football venues in the Philippines Sports in Cebu City Sports complexes in the Philippines Sports venues completed in 1994