As excitement builds in advance of The Big Goal 2025 National Tournament finals at St George’s Park – the Home of England Football – on September 26th, Comms Dealer spoke to three of the finalists to get their views on the big day and their prospects of winning the title and going on to represent England at the FIFCO Corporate World Cup in Morocco this October.
As holders of the national title, Virgin Media O2 are among the favourites to regain their crown and if they do, it’s guaranteed they will set the social channels alight about The Big Goal and its central mission to end youth homelessness in the UK. “First and foremost, being able to support The Big Goal and the work of the Street Soccer Foundation in any capacity was fantastic for us at Virgin Media,” said Adam Simons, Head of Transformational Planning. “It’s something we’re really proud about. Our mission now is to retain our crown and go on to represent England at the Corporate World Cup. What an incentive that is. To be able to play for our country in Morocco would be an absolute dream for us as players and it will give us even more to shout about on our socials, which helps spread the word about The Big Goal.”
Simons also noted that the company has already been ‘superb’ in spreading the message about the campaign internally, reaching 15,000 employees, as well as externally. “Just putting a post up on LinkedIn is getting The Big Goal in front of thousands and thousands of new eyes,” he added.
One of the players who helped Virgin lift the title last year is Dan Ellis, who is now an Account Director at Sky Business. “I scored the winning goal in the final last year so there’s pressure on me to make sure Sky Business wins this year,” he commented. “In truth, there’s a lot of pressure on the entire Sky team because when people think of Sky, the first thing that comes to mind is sports. We didn’t even qualify for the finals last year, so we’re one step further forward.
“Winning the nationals would be a proud moment, not just for the wholesale part of the business, but for the whole company. Representing England on the global stage would take it to a completely new level. For us, it’s about showing the power of teamwork and the culture that we’ve built at Sky Business. It would be brilliant to get ourselves over to Morocco – hopefully we can do that.”
Technology recycling business ICT Reverse admits to being one of the less fancied teams to gain a place in the finals, but Managing Director Craig Smith is relishing the prospect of his team playing at St George’s Park. “On our way to the regional tournament at Sheffield Wednesday, which was absolutely brilliant, we were sat there on the bus thinking if we can just get through this without embarrassing ourselves, we’ll be quite happy. But the lads excelled themselves. And when we got through we were absolutely made up. To play at St George’s Park is incredible.
“Although I’m a glass half full guy, I don’t think we’ll be booking an EasyJet flight to Morocco. We’re just genuinely delighted to have got through because it’s created a real buzz here. The Big Goal is doing a tremendous amount of good and I think it will snowball. I have always felt that homelessness should be eradicated; so when I first heard about the Street Soccer Foundation and The Big Goal initiative it instantly lit up my interest. It’s going to be something very special.”
The full line up of finalists for The Big Goal National finals on September 26th is: Onecom, Elite Group, Wavenet City, Focus Group, Comms Dealer, Sky Business South, ANS Group, PXC North, ICT Reverse, Welcomm Communications, Virgin Media O2, Lantern Tech, Giacom South, Daisy Communications and Cameo.
Keith Mabbutt, CEO of The Street Soccer Foundation, is confident the finals will be both memorable and highly competitive and hopes for a big turnout of supporters. He said: “We’ll be filming all the games. Sky Sports will once again provide professional commentators, our headline sponsor Giacom will be giving hands-on support and we’ve even got the world renowned DJ Judge Jules in the Arena – so we can promise spectators a brilliant day out at the Home of England Football. Come and be a part of your industry, united!”
Two years of social impact
Thanks to the support of corporate sponsors involved in The Big Goal, the Street Soccer Foundation delivered 44 Academies across the country in 2024 alone, supporting 462 vulnerable and homeless young people – a 96 per cent year-on-year increase from 2023. Based on a detailed analysis of cost savings to public services compared to delivery spend, the Social Return on Investment (SROI) for the programme in 2024 was calculated at £36 for every £1 invested. That’s £12.1 million in social value created, and a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when business and purpose come together. To find out more visit: www.thebiggoal.co.uk
Pictured above: Team Virgin Media Business celebrate their Big Goal 2024 win