On an average day, the surroundings of the Materialise headquarters are a green oasis of tranquility. But on this fateful Friday, the air in the normally quiet corridors thrummed with suppressed energy. By 5 o’clock, it was no use any more – football mania had officially taken over. It was time for the Materialise Football Tournament of 2018.
This edition saw no less than eight teams who wanted to battle it out on the field. The competition also had a twist this year – as always, the games were split into a “serious league” and a “fun league”, but there was now also an all-women’s tournament. Showing some serious spunk, the women’s league was dominated by the Manufacturing team – who then faced down none other than our Executive Committee in a final match!
Manufacturing vs. Executive Committee
After our Chairman of the Board, Peter Leys, scored an early goal, disaster struck. In his enthusiasm, our CEO Fried scored an own goal – bringing the total to 1-1! But he redeemed himself with a nice strike in the top corner of the (right) goal during the second half. During the final push, the Manufacturing ladies came out strong, but were thwarted at the last minute by goalie Stefaan Motte – our VP of Software. The Executive Committee took home the victory, ending the game 2-1.
Manufacturing vs. Medical
Over in the serious league, the die-hards stepped things up a notch. The ultimate winners, Manufacturing United A started off in poor form when they took quite a beating from Medical United B in their first match. But they clawed their way through the ranks, holding their own against the Old Stafford and Real Magics teams. In the semi-finals, they were up against the second staff team, made up of Materialise Alumni who still remember their days at the company with fondness. Despite the serious challenge, Manufacturing United A sailed through to the finals, where they faced their nemesis once again – Medical United B.
The final was incredibly tight. Manufacturing managed to keep the game under control right up until the end, when the Medical striker leveled the playing field with a 3-3 tie. The game went over to the penalties, where Manufacturing sealed the deal – victory was theirs!
The unfortunate Real Magics 2 team ended up in last place, which means they will need to host a giant stuffed bird for an entire year in their office. Each year, the losing team is awarded this dubious honor to provide them with some extra motivation to win the tournament the next time round. The defeat was made slightly less humiliating with a liberal helping of fries and beer after the games. We’re already looking forward to next year’s tournament!
