PHD takes home UnLtd: Cup Sydney and raises over $100K for children at risk

The 11th annual UnLtd: Cup indoor soccer tournament in Sydney has raised over $100,000 for children and young people at risk. The one-day tournament, kindly sponsored by Xandr and supported by Blis and Australian Payments Plus saw 28 teams across the media, marketing, creative and tech industries come together to kick goals for good at Perry Park in Alexandria.

Nearly 300 players competed in 60 games during the qualifying rounds. In the semi-finals, Meta beat OMD and PHD ruled over Mediabrands. The final was a tight game between PHD and Meta with PHD finally taking home the trophy at the last minute. Maddie Bart, Sales Executive at Nine was named the Player of the Day.

Says Chris Freel, CEO at UnLtd: “This was the biggest Cup yet and it was so good to get the industry together. It’s not only great for KidsXpress but also for the industry to get together at events like this and connect. Big thanks to all involved, in particular Pat Darcy, Mark Serhan, and Steve Geelan who do an exceptional job of driving this event with us every year.”

The event raises funds for KidsXpress, a children’s mental health charity that delivers trauma-informed Expressive Therapy to transform the lives of children impacted by adversity.

Says Margo Ward, CEO and founder of KidsXpress: “The UnLtd Cup is one of the highlights in our annual calendar. We love seeing old friends and new supporters across the industry come together to have fun, compete & make a difference to children’s mental health. The funds raised through the event over the years have made such a massive impact, first & foremost to the children through our KidsXpress programs as well as the caregiving communities that wrap around them. Thank you to everyone in the industry for supporting us in our mission to create a future that all children deserve.”

The event was kindly sponsored by Xandr and supported by Blis and Australian Payments Plus and teams competing included: ACM, AP+, ARN, Beem It, Blis, Captify, Carat, DoubleVerify, GroupM, IAS, IPG Mediabrands, iProspect, JCDecaux, Meta, Neo Media, Nine Entertainment Company, Nova, OMD, oOh! Media, Paramount, PHD, QMS, Quantcast, REA Group, SWM, Val Morgan, Xandr and Yahoo.

Says Nicole Prior, managing director AUNZ at Xandr: “We are so proud to partner with UnLtd Cup. It’s a fantastic event that each year brings out the best and most competitive parts of our industry and all for such a good cause. Congratulations to PHD for winning the 2022 title and thank you to everyone who joined us to kick some goals for good.”