Meetball friendly football for digital and creative industries

Meetball was set up by Andy and Heather Brown with an emphasis on competitive but clean five-a-side football with players of both sexes.

In five years, it has raised more than £5,500 for charities and seen friendships formed among people who work in the fast-growing industry.

Andy Brown – who founded the agency 3D FD and is a director of Ratio, Salad and Passenger – said the name was inspired by Meetdraw, the quarterly networking and social gathering for the sector locally.

“What I wanted to do by organizing Meetball was create an environment where people could build friendships and a community,” he said.

“Meetball is for those people that like football but also it’s something where they could have friendships.

"It’s a space where we can have fun socially rather than networking.”

He said the games were played in a spirit of fun and without a referee.

“It’s something we enjoy doing together, rather than people kicking lumps out of each other,” he said.

Andy came across the idea when he was living in Bath. There, he helped run a similar tournament, the Design World Cup, devised by businessman Peter Whitehead. “I stole his idea,” he said.

“Heather and I moved to Bournemouth in January 2013 and in September 2013 we started this up.”

The games are aimed at attracting those who might find it difficult to meet people outside work, including many people who have settled in the area after going to one of Bournemouth’s two universities.

Heather, who runs her own bespoke catering business, organises the tournaments with Andy and often takes photographs.

Andy said: “Heather and I pay for all the costs but we then ask for volunteer donations that go into a charity pot. Between us, as a community, we decide which charities to give money to.

“Eighty to 90 per cent of charities have been chosen for reasons that are close to someone’s heart.”

This year’s beach soccer is expected to attract 6-8 teams.

For details, visit meetballuk.com