The Muratti: an iconic game immersed in history and one which Close Finance is honoured to be able to sponsor and support not only this year, but for the next three years.

Since 1905, it’s been a highly anticipated event, marked on the calendar by friends and families for more than a century. And in more recent years, Islanders have had the joy of watching two finals as the Women’s teams take to the pitch ahead of the Men’s match.

This year, for the first time in the Muratti’s history, the Men’s and Women’s finals will be played on the same day. I’ll be surprised if anyone has a voice left by the end of both matches!

And, of course, with each final comes the age-old question: Who will lift the Muratti Vase in victory?

This year’s finals, which will be played at Footes Lane, Guernsey, will see both the Jersey and Guernsey Men’s and Women’s teams battle it out. Can both Guernsey teams break Jersey’s current winning streak? I certainly think so.

Inter-island rivalry aside, the beauty of the game is far more than just who takes home the trophies at the end of the season. The Muratti has been part of Island culture for generations. Not only does it promote ethics and principles that Islanders hold dear, such as hard work and resilience, it brings us all together.

Each year that the Muratti has been absent, there has most certainly been a hole in the lives of Islanders. When the games were halted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it was hard to ignore the loss of camaraderie that the games created amongst the Islands’ communities. On the return of the matches last year, you could feel the re-energising of the Islands, a shared sense of society and excitement that only the Muratti brings.

And it’s for this sense of community that Close Finance is honoured to sponsor the Muratti. Not only do we all enjoy the ‘beautiful game’ as it has been named by the Islands’ Football Associations, but the feelings it evokes and the values that it stands for never fail to integrate seamlessly into what we work hard to achieve within our own business.

Whether it’s for the teams that we build or the people we serve, Close Finance works on the foundations of care and collaboration. For more than 50 years, we’ve been fostering teamwork and inclusivity, responsibility, and professionalism in everything we do to support the people and businesses of the Islands to thrive. It’s these traits that we hold ourselves accountable to achieving every day that we see within the brilliant teams who step out onto the pitch each year for the Muratti.

To the teams participating in this year’s finals, from everyone at Close Finance, we wish you all the luck in the world. But perhaps more importantly, we’d all also like to say a huge thank you for being such a constant pillar in our Islands’ communities.