So I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not but North West Digital is very much a local business for local people; we’re Manchester based and we’re very proud of it. And one of the things that goes hand in hand with being Mancunians is of course, you guessed it, football!

 

Now we don’t often talk about football too much because, well, it gets people pretty heated to say the least, but of course this month is different, because it’s the Euro 2016 Football Championships. And we’re all getting more than a little bit excited about it here in the NWD office, so please indulge us, just this once! 

 

A Manchester Business for Manchester Businesses

 

Having been based in Stockport for over 30 years, North West Digital is your one-stop-shop for all your document management needs (honestly, we can literally do anything you need, from supplying you with a printer to taking charge of all your printing for you, and everything scanning, copying and fax related in between).

 

 

But because we care about being a local business, we only ever work with businesses in the Manchester and Stockport area. And it’s not because we’re insular; it’s because a big part of what we do relies on the fact that we’re right there on hand whenever our customers need us. So if we only work with businesses in and around the M60, we’re always no more than an hour away whenever you need us, should you need a helping hand with anything.

 

Hence, as a truly local Manchester business, made up mostly of people from the Greater Manchester area, North West Digital are deeply rooted in our home turf and we care about the things that make Manchester tick.

 

Football Crazy, Football Mad

 

And of course, there’s nothing else quite making Manchester tick at the moment like football; the whole city seems to have gone football crazy! Not that we’re complaining about that, because I think it’s fairly safe to say that we’re pretty football crazy ourselves, so any excuse to talk football is fine with us!

 

Now as you’d expect from a good Mancunian business, we’re pretty split here as to which teams we support. On the one hand, many of our team of office staff and engineers – including the big boss himself, Dave Thurston – are firmly rooted in the Manchester United camp, whilst some of the more deluded team have mired themselves in the Manchester City camp; more’s the pity. We still love them though.

 

In addition, most of the NWD team are also enthusiastic supporters of FC United of Manchester too; they’re the semi-professional football team, based at Broadhurst Park in Moston, Manchester, who compete in the National League North. Mainly because, unlike with the big teams, you can actually afford to go and watch them play some top-class football without needing to win the lottery first!

 

 

Naturally, we also have the occasional team member who supports someone completely different but we can’t help that; after all, we have to be a diverse and inclusive employer so we never discriminate against anyone based on their poor football choices. Regardless of who we all support though, it’s a pretty unanimous bet to say that most of us here at NWD love a bit of footy. And those that don’t have to lump it.

 

The Euro 2016 Football Championship Antics

 

And so you can just imagine how excited we’ve been in the NWD office for the last few weeks, both in the run up to and now since the launch of the Euro 2016 in France! We’ve been like the Irish footy fans in Paris…wearing silly wigs and bursting into our own rendition of Dancing Queen at the least provocation. Well, almost.

 

 

Naturally, we’ve done the sweepstake and some of us are feeling very smug with our draws (Germany anyone?! I thank you!), but if you’ve not already done yours in the office then you can get some really useful free resources online, such as this one from Euro Odds. Alternatively, you can always do your bit for charity at the same time, maybe by downloading this sweepstake kit from Breast Cancer Now.

 

Escape The Office and Watch The Footy

 

And as if that’s not enough, we’re also gearing ourselves up to watch all of the England games we can; well, until they’re kicked out of course (so about 3 games?!?), at which point we’ll console ourselves with watching everyone else.

 

So if you’re looking to escape the office, then there are loads of places in and around the city where you can watch the games. The Manchester Evening News have put this handy guide together for Where To Watch Euro 2016 Games In Manchester, as have Pocket Manchester. Similarly, I Love Manchester have also compiled a guide for Where To Watch All The (24 teams, 51 matches in 31 days) Euro 2016 Action, but you’ll also find loads of other useful information on their website too, and not just about football.

 

But if you’re looking for something to help you improve your football punditry as well – after all, you don’t want to find yourself making a big faux pas after a couple of pints – then you can’t go wrong with this article from the Manchester Evening News; Euro 2016 Fantasy Football tips: Will any of these Manchester United transfer targets get into your team? Also the Euro 2016: Ultimate Guide To The Tournament from Sky Sports is also a winner, just like England (come on, you’ve got to dream)!

 

Join NWD In The Footy Fun

 

So there you have it; if you’re a Manchester business then there’s absolutely no excuse not to join in all the footy fun this Euro 2016 season…and you can even do it all to raise money for charity to boot; now even the most hard-hearted of bosses can’t say no to that!

 

And if you are taking part, then make sure you make friends with us on social media so we can share in the antics. You can like our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your circle on Google+. And be sure to send us your photos too…we want to see the evidence!