MERJE Master Manchester
Business Fives ended the first week of the season in a sun soaked Manchester. 22 teams came together to score 300 goals across 66 matches all vying for a donation for their chosen charity with hopes to secure one of the three qualifying spots up for grabs for the National Final.
The top fundraiser prize was hotly contested. DASA raised £350 for their chosen charity, Conferma Pay raised a brilliant £692 for St Ann’s Hospice but it was the team from Interact who claimed the award having raised £965 for Wigan Youth Zone and Wigan & Leigh Carers.
On the pitch, in sweltering temperatures, it was the teams from MERJE, Oakwell Hampton, JMW and IRG Executive Search who made it to the Champions League semi finals. The team from JMW had their first taste of a penalty shootout as they overcame Oakwell Hampton to make it through to the final where they were joined by MERJE after a convincing 5-0 win.
It was MERJE who secured the £350 donation for their chosen charity, Duchenne, courtesy of a penalty shootout after a cagey 0-0 in the final. Both goalkeepers had an excellent game but Michael Ayres made some crucial saves as well as the decisive penalty save to help MERJE claim the title and this scooped him the Player of the Match award.
Both teams secured their spots in the National Final set to be held on Tuesday 18th October in Leeds.
David Herman from MERJE claimed the other individual award, with his 14 goals helping MERJE to the title and helping him claim the Top Goalscorer award.
The final qualifying spot and a £150 donation was at stake in the Europa League section as Pareto Finace squeezed passed EWL 2-1 in the first semi final while AND Digital beat The Audit Lab 4-1 to get to the showpiece final.
The Final served up more goals, but it was the Pareto Finance team who eventually ran out 3-2 winners to add to the claim the Europa League title, a qualifying spot and a £150 donation for Manchester MIND.
After the football, teams enjoyed a drinks reception and buffet and were treated to some brilliant stories from former Manchester City, Fulham and Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown.
Business Fives will be back in the North West on Wednesday 17th August for our Liverpool event and you can find out more here.
Manchester Football Tournament Timings
1:45 – Registration and Networking
2:30 – Kick Off
5:00 – Drinks Reception, Buffet, Q&A and prize presentation from Guest speaker Paul Dickov
Prizes
£350 charity donation to the Champions League Winners & £150 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.
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 £325,000 through our events which we are absolutely thrilled with and we wish you every success in the tournament.
Omni is a resourcing transformation specialist with one clear purpose – to change the way organisations resource for the better. They work with clients to improve their resourcing effectiveness, enabling them to stand out from their competitors in how they engage, develop and retain talent. Omni has three business streams:
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Recruitment – delivering brand-led recruitment services including RPO, MSP, Executive Search and Assessment
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Talent Consultancy – helping organisations to understand and improve their resourcing effectiveness through a range of strategic consultancy services including retention and workforce planning
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Talent Development – supporting organisations to attract and nurture talent through recruitment training, management and leadership development.