Nearshore software development company Godel, based in Manchester’s NEO building, held an inaugural 5-a-side knock-out football tournament for Manchester’s coding community to showcase the wealth of software development talent in the north-west – and their agile skills on the pitch. AO.com took the first trophy home as 2018 winners.

The Kanban Cup, named after the agile software development methodology, took place on May 23, 2018, at Powerleague Ardwick and included over a dozen teams of coders from some of the region’s finest tech-driven companies. Over 80 software developers were involved with the event.

The knock-out tournament saw Godel vs Wax Digital and AO.com vs MDS Global in the semi-finals, and Godel vs AO.com in the final.

“It was hard work – we didn’t get a chance to warm up, so the opening game against Godel was our first piece of the action and we weren’t ready for the intensity of the game or the heat,” said Ali McArthur, programme manager and captain of the AO.com winning team.

In a previous kick-about, Godel was beaten by AO.com on the football pitch, so the Kanban Cup final was particularly heated. McArthur commented:

“The icing on the cake is the rag to riches story of coming back around to beat Godel in the final to take the trophy – sorry Godel.”

Paul Green, chief commercial officer, Godel said: “There’s always a lot of talk about the skills gap in coding but on this occasion, the north-west is well represented and there was no shortage of skills on the pitch. I hope it will become an annual event and will attract coding – and football talent from around the region.

“Well done to AO.com for winning the most coveted football cup in the North West this side of the Etihad, Old Trafford and Anfield – and watch out for a rematch next year.”

Companies that fielded a 5-a-side team of software developers included:

AO.com;
Sorted Group;
N Brown Group;
LDF Group;
Quint;
Zuto;
Autocab;
AJ Bell;
Fishawack;
MDS Global;
Wax Digital.

The tournament was a great success with each team of coders having enjoyed their time on the pitch. Godel will continue to run the Kanban Cup in the future, for the most agile development teams to show off their skills.