For the third year, Urban Initiatives hosted the highly anticipated Corporate Challenge Cup at Humboldt Park. The all-day soccer tournament allows companies from across the Chicago area to come together for a day of friendly competition and giving back. This year, 24 teams competed for the coveted title of Corporate Challenge Cup champion. All of our participants played hard to benefit the students in Urban Initiatives’ programs across Chicago.
On Thursday evening, Urban Initiatives live-streamed the draw party as participants tuned in across the city to learn which corporations they would be competing against. After a thrilling live draw, the bracket was set, rosters were ready to go, and everyone was eagerly awaiting the upcoming competition.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, the teams arrived with their game faces on. Teams were greeted by Urban Initiatives’ own Cris Martinez and Jim Dower who encouraged participants to play fair and have fun. Supplied with a cup of coffee generously provided by Starbucks, the DJ played some pump up tunes and the match ups began at 10 am. Each team played three games in the group rounds before moving on to elimination rounds. After the group round, the teams took a break from the games to enjoy lunch provided by Limelight and cold beer provided by Constellation Brands. Refueled after lunch, the exciting elimination round matches began.
During the elimination round, teams fought for a spot in the finals. All the teams played with admirable intensity, and many games were forced into suspenseful shootouts. After a full day of fierce competition, only two teams had survived. CBRE and IMC faced off in the final match up. The twenty minute game was a true display of athleticism and perseverance. At the end of twenty minutes, CBRE stood victorious and claimed the Corporate Challenge Cup.
“The Corporate Challenge Cup is a fun day of friendly competition and a great opportunity for companies’ employees to connect, both within their companies and with our participating teams,” said UI Executive Director Jim Dower. “More than that, though, the event is so amazing because it brings together so many of Chicago’s leading corporate citizens in support of our sports-based programs. Just as Urban Initiatives’ programming brings together our diverse group students from communities across the city, this event helped to develop greater connectivity among many of the companies that call Chicago home.”
Urban Initiatives was thrilled to see another successful year of the Corporate Challenge Cup. We would like to thank all of our sponsors, participants, referees, volunteers, the Chicago Park District, Limelight Catering, and Constellation Brands. A special thank you to all our team captains who helped recruit players and put together their team roster for the tournament. We are incredibly grateful for the support from Chicago’s corporate community.