Spring Solutions at the double in Edinburgh return
Business Fives returned to Edinburgh for the first time in 2 years as teams from across the capital assembled to get back on the pitch for another sell out event as part of the winter season.
With a £5,000 donation up for grabs at the national final and £750 to be divided amongst the Edinburgh winners there was a lot at stake for the companies taking part and their chosen charities.
With all teams fundraising in advance the companies combined to raise a whopping £4,710 as they scored 248 goals in 50 matches. There was some notable contributions to this impressive total with Morton Fraser raising £410 for Action for Children, Spring Solutions raising £500 for West Lothian Foodbank, Abrdn raised £505 for Hello World and Avaloq managed £550 for the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity.
Surpassing them all was the Johnston Smillie team playing in support to their own Charitable Trust who had manged to raise £1,060 through their fundraising ahead of the event to scoop the top fundraiser trophy.
On the pitch teams were split after the opening round robin into Champions League, Europa League and Intertoto Cup sections for a further round of fixtures before the tournament progressed into the knockout stages.
With National Final qualification going to all the champions league semi finalists the quarter finals were hotly contested affairs with Spring Solutions overcoming BayWa r.e., Abrdn getting past Avison Young, Mortgage Advice Bureau won their match v Thomson Gray 2-1 and CALA Homes got past Storm ID/Lenus Health after a 4-3 thriller.
It was Abrdn and Spring Solutions who progressed on to the final were a £500 donation awaited the winners. Having only conceded 3 and 4 goals respectively throughout the tournament it was the Abrdn & Spring Solutions keepers and defences who were making the difference to their teams performance.
After a tight opening exchange eventually it was the Spring Solutions team who broke the deadlock with Michael Ward finding the back of the net to add to his tally of 14 on his way to the top goal scorer award. Chris Cullen was singled out by John Rankin as his man of the match in the final for a stand out performance helping his side to back to back Business Fives titles after their triumphant debut in Glasgow back in November.
The Spring Solutions team have now secured £1,000 in donations for their chosen charities with West Lothian Foodbank being the benefactor this time around.
In the Europa League section Icelantic, Zonal, BlackRock and Cairn Housing Group found themselves in the semi finals with a spot at the national final at stake along with a £250 donation.
Courtesy of 10 goals in the 3 knockout matches it was the BlackRock team who overcame Zonal in the final to secure the donation for Bright Sparks.
Isabelle Bain from Morton Fraser was selected as the ladies player of the tournament for her performances that saw her firm reach the quarter final stages.
Players were treated to stories from the playing career of John Rankin after the tournament in the post match debrief before the medals were allocated.
The Business Fives action continues in Scotland on Friday with the Aberdeen event before a further stop in Dundee and a final stop in Forth Valley next month ahead of the National Final in Glasgow on Thursday 7th April.
Edinburgh Football Tournament Timings
1:45 – Registration and Networking
2:30 – Kick Off
5:00 – Drinks Reception, Buffet, Q&A and prize presentation from John Rankin
Prizes
£500 charity donation to the Champions League Winners & £250 donation to the Europa League winners, Top Fundraisers, Top Goalscorer, Ladies Player of the Tournament, Man of the Match in Champions League Final
Health & Safety
Alongside medical support on site as standard for our Business Fives events for any injuries that might arrive we are taking some extra steps to mitigate risks associated with events.
We adhere fully with the latest government guidance and have implemented a series of covid secure measures in place at our events. In addition to this each player must confirm they have a negative LFT test or that they are fully vaccinated and are not currently displaying any covid symptoms.
You can follow us on social media and both finals of the Europa League and Champions League will be streamed live. With all the coverage it’s a good time to remind you that you will be representing your company so play with respect.
Twitter – @businessfives Instagram – @businessfives17 LinkedIn – Business Fives Ltd Facebook – Business Fives.
By taking part you have all helped us raise over £230,000 through our events which we are absolutely thrilled with and we wish you every success in the tournament.