Football and future dreams meet at Ascent Legacy Match
Children from community schools stepped into the spotlight at this year's Ascent Legacy Match, hosted at STM Hall as part of the Ascent Corporate Cup, underscoring the power of sport to promote inclusion and opportunity. Eighteen students from GLP Gabtoli School participated in the event.
The match, organised in collaboration with Thrive Global, showcased sport as a driver of inclusion and opportunity for underprivileged children.
Founded in 2012 by three expatriate mothers in Dhaka, Thrive Global provides nutritious school meals and supports health and education in community schools.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Currently, Thrive Global is led by Amna Rahman, Sadia Moyeen, and Kanwal Bhagat, with support from a team of volunteers.
The participating children, aged nine to 14, were accompanied by Principal Jashu Mia of GLP Gabtoli School. For many, it was their first experience playing in an international-standard indoor futsal arena.
Each child received football shoes and a team jersey before being divided into two teams—Thrive Strikers and Thrive Warriors.
Instead of traditional names and numbers, the jerseys featured the children's aspirations—for example, pilot, engineer, footballer, cricketer and doctor.
Senior executives from participating companies joined the young players on the court before the match, reinforcing the message that corporate leadership must extend to community engagement.
Thrive Strikers won the 15-minute match 2–0, though the event prioritised participation and inclusion over competition.
"For these children, the greatest thrill was not victory. It was participation. It was inclusion," Principal Jashu Mia said.
Former state minister for foreign affairs Reaz Rahman and Bookworm proprietor Dilaras Quddus presented gold and silver medals to the players.
The Ascent Legacy Match forms part of the annual corporate futsal tournament, which highlights organisations and communities leveraging sport to foster social inclusion.
Previous editions have supported children's education through the JAAGO Foundation and the Abinta Foundation, highlighted athletes from the Bangladesh Wheelchair Cricket Association, and promoted women's football through "Power of She".
The organisers said the initiative aims to encourage corporate leaders to invest in community development and create opportunities for young people.
