The Ascent Legacy Match brought together football, corporate leadership and social impact as part of the Ascent Corporate Cup, highlighting how the sport can create opportunities for children and communities.
The annual initiative, held before the championship match of the corporate futsal tournament, this year celebrated the work of Thrive Global, a Dhaka-based initiative founded in 2012 by three expatriate mothers to support underprivileged communities, the organisers said in a press release.
The Legacy Match has previously supported children’s education through JAAGO Foundation and Abinta Foundation, showcased athletes from the Bangladesh Wheelchair Cricket Association and promoted women’s football through “Power of She”.
This year’s event featured 18 children aged between nine and 14 from GLP Gabtoli School, accompanied by Principal Jashu Mia. The children participated in the match at STM Hall during the Ascent Corporate Cup semi-finals, experiencing an international-standard indoor futsal arena for the first time.
The children received new football shoes and matching team jerseys sponsored for the occasion before being divided into two teams, Thrive Strikers and Thrive Warriors.
Instead of names and numbers, the jerseys displayed the children’s aspirations, including dreams of becoming pilots, engineers, footballers, cricketers and doctors.
The organisers said the focus was on potential and opportunity rather than poverty, using football as a platform to inspire young people.
Managing Directors and CEOs from participating companies joined the children on the court before the match, walking hand-in-hand with the young players. The moment reflected the event’s message that corporate leadership can extend beyond business and contribute to stronger communities.
The children played with enthusiasm during the 15-minute match, with Thrive Strikers securing a 2–0 victory over Thrive Warriors. However, the organisers said the score was secondary to the experience of participation and inclusion.
“For these children, the greatest thrill was not victory. It was participation. It was inclusion,” Principal Jashu Mia said after the match.
Former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Reaz Rahman and Bookworm proprietor Dilaras Quddus presented gold and silver medals to every player, allowing each child to stand on the same stage and receive recognition alongside the finalists of the Ascent Corporate Cup.
The Ascent Legacy Match organisers said the initiative is a celebration of possibility and aims to remind children that dreams are shaped by opportunities rather than their starting circumstances.
The programme also called on Bangladesh’s corporate leaders to invest in community development and support the future of the country through initiatives beyond business.
