Meet The Winning Team – FC Ogilvy Johannesburg

FC Ogilvy JHB, was started in September 2015, when a few people from the creative and account management teams realised that there were a lot of guys who loved playing social football.

We decided to form the FCO team and joined the Dimension Data Corporate League (DiData League), with all match days being on Tuesday evenings.

FC Ogilvy JHB has a roster of 13 regular players and is managed, and captained, by Napo Tsubane (Ogilvy JHB), while Michael Zulu (Ogilvy JHB) often acts as team coach and game strategist on match days. It would not be possible to have the team without the help of Abey Mokgwatsane, Garth King and Angela Madlala, who have been supportive all the way – by getting the team registered for the league and matches, arranging team kits and financing team utilities for game days.

The FCO team is about bonding and brotherhood, with the joyful bonus of running after a ball for 40 minutes once a week. This extends beyond the players, as we have colleagues who regularly come and watch the team play while enjoying a drink or two.  The team is comprised of members from all over the campus: Account Management, Creative, Hogarth Worldwide, Maintenance, Geometry Global, Team Red, Finance… a great way of uniting people from different parts of the business J. This has resulted in a feeling of inclusion and understanding that has made certain working relationships easier and has assisted in building respect between colleagues.

Beyond playing in the DiData league, we also have challenge matches against Client teams such as SAB, KFC and DStv. We often treat these matches as an opportunity to give other interested colleagues (who aren’t regular members of the team) an opportunity to participate.

The team has grown and progressed from a small cluster of guys just jamming together to a well-managed organisation capable of winning the league. This past season we were ranked number 1 in the league. The aspirations for the team are higher than merely participating in a sport, we have a vision of becoming a linchpin of the Ogilvy culture; getting people active and participative in the most novel of initiatives.