Schools battle in Great Enterprise Challenge at Liverpool FC

Councillor Gary Millar

22 secondary schools have battled it out in the second stage of Liverpool’s Great Enterprise Challenge at Liverpool Football Club.

The competition is part of the build up to next year’s Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) and will see the finalists win a trip to Washington DC.

Teams from each school have already been given a start-up fund of £100 to develop their ideas and have now taken part in a Dragon’s Den style pitch held at Anfield to try and win a place in the next round of the competition.

10 teams will progress to the next stage as well as receiving a further £250 investment. More than 40 primary schools have also entered and will be judged on their written submissions.

Liverpool FC is backing the competition and Academy players Michael Ngoo, Jamie Stephens and Stephen Sama were keen to meet the young entrepreneurs.

Nineteen-year-old Ngoo said: “It’s a great idea and I wish when I was at school there had been a competition like this. Coming up with ideas is one thing, but putting them into action is another.

“This challenge encourages people to be creative and gives them the drive, ambition and commitment to succeed. These are things you also need to make it as a professional footballer.”

Councillor Gary Millar, who came up with the idea of the Challenge, added: “There’s some great ideas being put forward and we’re really pleased with how schools have become involved. We are grateful to Liverpool FC because it’s important that children have other young people who they can look up to as role models.

“Following the Dragons Den pitch, the very best 10 ideas will be assigned business mentors and given further investment in January to develop a business plan to pitch to investors in March at the Congress itself.”

Chief executive of Liverpool Vision Max Steinberg said: “The teams are full of entrepreneurial talent and we’re looking forward to seeing them showcase their ideas.

“A trip to Washington DC is the prize on offer for two winning teams, so the competition will be tough but we know that whoever wins will be fantastic ambassadors for Liverpool.”

Other prizes include a one day “Keep the Cash!” session delivered by Ambitious Minds for five teams of secondary school finalists. It gives an experience of what it will be like when they have to make their own financial decisions as independent adults.

The GEC 2012, to be held in Liverpool, is being organised by the US-based Kauffman Foundation and Liverpool Vision, the city’s economic development company.

For more information Liverpool visit www.gec2012.com

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