The Furniture Makers’ Company’s annual charity five-a-side football tournament returned this month, following a three-year hiatus, sporting a new look and identity, with furnishing businesses competing to raise the inaugural Tim Bloyce Cup.
The one-day competition, which was sponsored by Ocee Design, took place at the Lucozade Powerleague Football Centre, Coventry on 3rd July.
Now in its eighth year, the tournament was renamed the Tim Bloyce Cup in 2022 to honour Tim Bloyce, a lifelong football fan and employee of Ocee Design, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2021.
The event was on par with the biggest ever held, as 15 teams from furnishing retailers, manufacturers, distributors and service providers, including Celtheath, the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman (FHIO), Hafele, Headlam, Hypnos, JPA Workspaces, Lee Longlands, Ocee Design and Whitemeadow all competed to topple returning champions Axminster Tools.
The action kicked off at 1pm with the all-important group stages, during which each squad played three games to secure their place in the next round. The games were fast, competitive and goal heavy. FC Hypnos looked unstoppable in the early stages of the tournament, scoring 40 goals in their first three games and only conceding six.
At the end of the group stage, the top eight teams progressed to the main competition’s knockout stage, while the top four teams from the bottom seven competed for the silver plate.
After an hour of play, Ocee United and FC Hypnos had claimed their spots in the final. With FC Hypnos having already bested Ocee United 9:4 in the group stages, the bed manufacturer’s team had to be confident going into the match. However, with friends, family and their colleague, Tim Bloyce, cheering on from the side lines, Ocee United were determined not to let their earlier loss diminish their chances of bringing home the trophy. Both teams gave everything they had in a hard-fought final, but when the final whistle was blown, Ocee United was victorious, 5:4.
The event finished with a presentation for the winners, which was followed by a barbeque. In addition to Ocee United collecting their prizes, FHIO was presented with the silver plate after beating Hafele in the final. The player of the tournament was Stefan Mason of Ocee United.
The tournament raised a record £6518 for the charity.
Jonny Westbrooke, CEO of The Furniture Makers’ Company, says: “Over the past decade, the five-a-side football tournament has become a much-loved and very competitive staple in our calendar of fundraising events. After two years of inactivity, we were delighted to resume the event under a new banner and identity of the Tim Bloyce Cup. Thank you to Ocee Design for not only sponsoring the tournament but the support they provided in the planning and build-up to the day.”
Pictured: The winning team, Ocee United. From left: Alistair Gough, CEO of Ocee Design; Tim Bloyce; and the winning team
