Held for the first time in September 2018, the IFR Champions Cup brought together three leading industries in Malta – iGaming, Fintech and Real Estate – to explore synergies.
The seven-a-side football tournament wasn’t all work though – it was a work-and-play affair for a charitable cause, with the event managing to raise €9,000 for Puttinu Cares Foundation and ALS Malta.
Organised by ‘For A Cause Events’ LTD, an events management company created by four close friends; Nikola Vasovic, Andrew Micallef Trigona, Yiannis Paraskevas and Nora Schembri – and whose name reflects its ethos of donating a portion of proceeds from each event to charity.
In collaboration with the Delta Summit and Malta Innovation Summit, the first edition of the IFR Champions Cup kicked off with an opening ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel, St Julian’s, where expert speakers discussed the inter-relatedness of iGaming, Fintech and Real Estate. This was followed by the official draw and a networking reception. The aim of this part of the event was that of fostering business development.
The tournament itself took place on Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30 at the Marsa Sports' Grounds. During the tournament, an IFR Village was set up, showcasing various company stands, food caterers, lounges, and a bar where the players, their families and supporters could enjoy the day.
The opening ceremony for the second edition of the IFR Champions Cup is being held on Saturday, August 31 at the Kind’s Mercedes Showroom, Lija. Present at the opening will be Rick Goddard (CCO SIGMA) speaking on behalf of iGaming, Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, Silvio Schembri, on behalf of Fintech and Steve Mercieca, CEO of Quicklets and Zanzi Homes, who will be representing Real Estate.
The IFR Village and tournament itself will be held a week later, on Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8 at the Marsa Sports Grounds. The scope will be the same as last year’s – bringing people together for a good game of football and networking. But there is an added surprise this year. The winner of the tournament will be taking part in the Continental Football League being held in Moscow in May, 2020.
Charity will also be a winner, as a portion of the proceeds will again be donated to the Puttinu Cares Foundation and ALS Malta.
The IFR Champions Cup is being held in collaboration with the SiGMA / Malta Blockchain Summit, and is being sponsored by Quicklets & Zanzi Homes – The Attard Branch, Teamsport, Betsson Group, SIGMA, The Stars Group, Valletta Waterfront, Gourmet Bar & Grill, Physio The General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd., Bortex Fine Tailoring, Trustly, Betsoft and last but not least, JUGS Malta, who will be taking things to a whole new level with the set-up of the Opening Ceremony and IFR Village.