Expats traded their suits and their boardrooms for a day as they donned football jerseys and played through sun and rain at the Nuvali football field in Laguna, during the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines’s (ECCP) annual football competition.

ECCP Vice President Erik Moller Nielsen said th 10th ECCP Football Cup strengthened relationships among companies and individuals that participated in the tournament.

Win or lose, what was common among the football participants is their love of the game,” Nielsen said, adding that it is just fitting that they are staging the tournament as football originated in Europe.

He also said they like to provide more support to the sport, which has gained a groundswell of followers following the success of the Azkals in international competitions. Nielsen said it’s heartening to know that there are other football tournaments being held outside that of the ECCP, as it shows how the sport has grown in the country.

For first-time participants, like Asian Development Bank Technical Adviser for Transport Tyrrell Duncan and Maersk Supply Service Manager Joao Merencio, the ECCP Football Cup was an adrenaline-pumping, yet friendly, tournament.

“It was a really, really fun tournament. It’s not meant to be so competitive. And we liked that,” Duncan said.

For his part, Merencio said: “The spirit of the team is okay. We’re just having fun, which is the main purpose of this event.”

The 10th ECCP Football Cup, which was divided into the Men’s and Mixed Divisions, was participated in by 27 teams.

Teams competed in a seven-a-side double-round robin meet for the Men’s Division and single-round robin for the Mixed Division. 

Source: Business Mirror