From the Pitch to the Boardroom
Growing up, football was always more than just a game for me. Sure, I wasn’t exactly the next Messi or Ronaldo, but that didn’t matter. The real magic of football was the people I got to share the pitch with. I’ve been kicking a ball around since I was a little kid, and while I never imagined going pro, I was always surrounded by a team of great people who made every match feel like a championship.
Fast forward a few years, and I’m playing in the Swiss 4th league, still with the same group of friends I’ve known since childhood. Our team is a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, with around 25 players hailing from 12 different countries. It’s like a mini-United Nations out there, only instead of debating policies, we’re arguing about who’s paying for drinks after the game. But jokes aside, being part of this team has taught me more about the world than any textbook ever could. The diversity in our squad has given me insights into different cultures, experiences, and ways of thinking that I would have never encountered otherwise.
Every year, before the season starts, we go on a training trip. Now, if I’m being honest, it’s more of a vacation with a bit of football thrown in. It’s a chance for us to get away from our families, girlfriends, and the usual grind, and just focus on being a bunch of lads who love the game. We train, we laugh, and we talk about everything under the sun—our dreams, our fears, and everything in between. It’s during these trips that the idea of starting a business together first came up. Between beers and banter, we realized that we shared more than just a love for football. We had ideas, ambition, and the drive to create something meaningful together.
I understand the common advice against mixing business with friendship. People often say it’s risky because it can be hard to stay critical or objective when you’re working with your closest friends. But this situation is different. We’ve trusted each other with our lives in so many situations—both on and off the field. We’ve sacrificed for one another, chipped in whenever a teammate needed help, and celebrated each other’s successes without a hint of jealousy. In our team, we don’t see success or self-worth coming between what we have. We know that our bond is strong enough to withstand the pressures of business, just as it has withstood everything else life has thrown at us.
Switzerland is known for its reserved culture, where people often keep to themselves, focused on their own lives. But what we have is different—our team is a warm, welcoming community, unlike anything Switzerland is typically known for. It’s a brotherhood that transcends the usual Swiss tendency towards privacy and independence. We’re a living example of what happens when people from different walks of life come together and create something unique, not just in sports, but in life.
As we get older, many of us are starting our own families, which adds another layer of meaning to what we’re doing. What better way to pave the way for the next generation than to come together and build something for them? We want to create a platform that our kids can one day be proud of, something they can take over when we’re too old to keep up. This business isn’t just for us—it’s for them, to continue the legacy we’ve started.
In just a month, we’ll be launching our first product—a testament to what can happen when friends decide to build something great together. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on and to prove that when you combine passion, friendship, and a little bit of football spirit, you can create something truly remarkable.
