Chorley-based telecoms and IT business Elite Group are one step away from representing England at the Corporate World Cup after winning the Northern Regional Finals of The Big Goal run by the Street Soccer Foundation and hosted alongside Sheffield Wednesday FC on April 25th.
Elite were undefeated in the heats, overcame ICT Reverse in the semi-final 5-0 and beat ANS Group in the final 3-0 to retain the trophy they won last year. They will now go through to The Big Goal National Finals to be staged at St George’s Park – the Home of England Football – on September 26th. If they win that, they will be jetting off to Fez in Morocco for the Federation of Corporate Football (FIFCO) World Cup on October 22nd-26th and will have the honour of wearing the Three Lions shirt, competing against 15 other business teams from all over the world.
Elite Group CEO Adam Turton commented:
“We’re delighted to be crowned Northern Regional Winners of The Big Goal for the second consecutive year. Participating in The Big Goal has proven to be the most impactful initiative we’ve ever experienced for employee engagement and social responsibility. It brilliantly combines the passion and camaraderie of football and team sports with the opportunity to make a real difference, positively changing lives and creating meaningful social impact.”
“We didn’t imagine we could surpass the incredible experience our team enjoyed at St George’s Park as runners up in last year’s National Finals. However, the added incentive this year of potentially representing England at the Corporate World Cup in Morocco has generated immense excitement among our people.”
“We are thrilled to once again be part of The Big Goal supporting the amazing work of the Street Soccer Foundation in tackling youth homelessness across the UK. Congratulations to all the fantastic businesses across the ICT channel that have competed in the regional tournaments and support the Big Goal. Together, we are helping change lives through the power of football, opportunity, and community.”
Other qualifiers for the nationals were semi-finalists ICT Reverse, ANS Group, PXC North, and Daisy Communications, who narrowly beat Firstcom Europe 1-0 in the plate final. The Golden Boot Winner with 12 goals was Aaron Thorpe from Elite Group. The player of the tournament was Liam Delaney from PXC North and the Golden Gloves best goalkeeper was Lucas Brennand from Elite Group.
Giacom North won the Spirit of the Tournament Award to the delight of CEO Terry O’Brien.
“I’d like to thank the Street Soccer Foundation team and Sheffield Wednesday FC for putting together such a well organised and professional tournament. Our northern team were delighted to win the Spirit of the Tournament Award which made up for their defeat at the hands of Daisy Communications in the Plate semi-final!”
“Football brings communities together and, regardless of the results, this was a fabulous day for a brilliant cause. All the sponsoring teams support Street Soccer Academies at football clubs across the UK, helping disadvantaged and homeless young people change their lives for the better. The social impact The Big Goal is achieving is brilliant and I would urge companies across Britain to get involved as the ESG benefits are fantastic.”
All the winners at the Northern Regionals were:
- Elite Group – Northern Regional Champions
- Daisy – Plate Winners
- Aaron Thorpe, Elite Group – Golden Boot Award
- Lucas Brennand, Elite Group – Golden Glove Award
- Liam Delaney, PXC North – Player of the Tournament
- Giacom North – Spirit of the Tournament Award
For all the results, visit the 2025 Regionals page.
