Business Fives Football Tournament

Our team enjoyed a fantastic day at the recent Business Fives Football Tournament, returning home with a trophy, an additional charity donation, and qualification for the National Finals later this year!

The tournament itself featured a slightly unusual format, with 12 teams competing throughout the day. Teams first played in an initial group stage, with results determining qualification into a second tournament-style group. Performance in that stage then decided the knockout fixtures and the competition pathway for the remainder of the day.

After some hard-fought matches in the opening rounds, the Shorts team finished third in their group. This secured our place in the Europa League competition, where there was still plenty to play for.

The team continued to battle hard and showed great determination as the afternoon progressed. Based on our group placement, we qualified directly for the Europa League semi-final, where we faced a tough opponent in a tightly contested match. With neither side able to find a winner, the game went to penalties, and thankfully we held our nerve to come out on top and book our place in the final.

The final proved to be just as dramatic.

After another closely fought encounter, the match once again had to be settled by a penalty shootout. Showing incredible composure under pressure, the team converted when it mattered most and secured victory to be crowned Europa League champions.

Winning the Europa League brought with it more than just bragging rights. It also meant taking home a trophy, which now takes pride of place in the Sheffield office.

Alongside the silverware, our success earned an additional £150 for our chosen charity, helping us make a positive impact away from the football pitch as well. This will be added to our fundraising total from the donations of support, and continue to build our final total raised for The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity.

On to the finals

Excitingly, the rewards of the day didn't end there!

The team's results mean that we've booked a place in the Business Fives National Finals, which will take place in Birmingham later this year. Competing against some of the top-performing teams from tournaments across the country will be a fantastic opportunity, and one we're all looking forward to.

A huge congratulations to the team: Will Blumenstock, Arran Bovill, Daniel Hammond, Archie Mason, Jack Daniels, Louis Johnson, Jake Furniss and Ben Stones.

And thanks to everyone who supported us throughout the competition. We now turn our attention to Birmingham and the National Finals, where we'll be hoping to continue this impressive run of form. ⚽🏆