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SMALL-SIDED with Powerleague Goals & Footy Addicts
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Footy Addicts: A Football Revolution
We chat with Kos, MD of Footy Addicts - the platform that is changing the way we can all experience the beautiful game.
We all want different things from football. For some, it’s to play at as high a level as possible or to enjoy the on- and off-pitch camaraderie of being part of a team. For others, it’s just the chance to blow off some steam and get some exercise. One thing we can all agree upon is that we want the goals and nets up, even-numbered teams and the ball at our feet. Anyone who has tried to arrange a regular kickabout, or get their mates together for a one-off, knows that those things are not easy to achieve. And then there was Footy Addicts.
Twelve cities globally, 170,000 registered players from 209 nationalities, more than 500 games taking place every week and a significant social impact. It’s a platform that allows anyone to sign up, pick a game, turn up and play. And it truly is for everyone. For those just learning to play, to those using it to keep sharp around their eleven-a-side on the weekend. Whether you’re new to a city, passing through, or whether you call it home. We caught up with Konstantinos Gkortsilas, or “Kos”, to find out all about the platform that gets everyone playing.
“When I first moved to London, there was a lack of visibility on football games played in the city. I could only search for games via Gumtree and that was usually for small-sided league teams looking
for extra players. I wanted to enjoy football in a more casual and social way than play a competitive league game.
“I was introduced to Meetup.com, a social website in which you are matched with people in your area who share the same interests with you. Naturally, Footy Addicts first started as a Meetup social group, for people who wanted to play football games. It was the first football-related Meetup group in London back in 2009. I tried to create a similar platform to be dedicated only to football, and in 2012 we created the first version of a web app for Footy Addicts. In 2013 we registered as a limited company and started operating in a more structured format on game organisation.”
Kos continues: “By creating the limited company I was the point of contact for everything. Literally everything, from game organisation, finance, accounts, pitch hire contracts, website development, and the list goes on.”
Two guys that had shared a similar experience were Danny and Jon, who after a placement year and struggling to find accessible football on their travels, had got the wheels in motion on creating a platform where people could find and join casual football games easily, wherever you are, whatever your ability. The three joined forces in 2013.
“A year after the limited company was registered I was lucky enough to have Jonathan and Danny coming on board,” Kos explains. “Being so enthusiastic about the project they were best suited to be out and about with the community, leaving me to deal with all the paperwork!”
And so, the Footy Addicts community grew and grew, while still remaining close-knit. The vibe at games is brilliant. Competitive without ever going over the top. Well organised with hosts having the final say on disputed free-kicks and corner kicks, and ensuring teams are fair and everyone is respectful, without it ever losing its edge. And each and every game has a range of abilities and ethnicities that is brilliant to see.
“Footy Addicts is a fantastic open community,” says Kos. “It has always been and will always be about the community. We are privileged that we have met so many fantastic people. These people make this project a success and are the ones fuelling us to keep going.
“Footy Addicts has always been an all-inclusive project. We want to give pitch space accessibility to everybody. Players of all levels of ability, regardless of age, gender, race, religion or sexuality.”
The platform allows organisers to run their own games, or they can essentially create their own business arranging and hosting games from within. This isn’t without its challenges, though.
“One of the biggest challenges we face is getting other organisers on board by sharing their football sessions. Organising a game takes time, energy and financial risk from the person who is doing it. Making all this effort, the majority of the game organisers have a feeling of ownership for the community they have created. Our approach is different; we believe that people will play football where and when is convenient
Below: Konstantinos Gkortsilas for them. By providing visibility to all pitch spaces in your area, you give more options to people and encourage them to be more active. It is a win-win situation for the player, the game organiser and the community.”
Growing up in Greece, and living in Spain, Kos is very well placed to give us a fresh perspective on the issues of facilities in the UK.
“In Greece, the majority of the small-sided football facilities are privately owned. This comes with pros and cons. In London, the majority of the pitches are owned by the council which helps to keep the pitch hire cost down, but at the same time the repairs and the pitch quality is not great. Lack of space is a big challenge, especially in London. When it comes to The FA and Football Foundation’s plans for investment, every bit of support for grassroots is welcome.”
So, what’s next for Footy Addicts? And what is Kos most proud of in their journey so far?
“Footy Addicts’ goal is to become the place globally to be for everybody who wants to play football. We want to provide easy access to football games and the benefits that they bring to the community and mental and physical health to everybody.
“I’m most proud of the Footy Addicts team; we have built a team of people who all have the same vision and share the same passion for this project.” TGP
Footy Addicts is open and everyone can join. Just download the app and get involved.
Why We Play at Goals
THE TOMMY TANKERS ARE TEARING IT UP IN SOUTHEND
Head down to Goals Southend on a Monday night and you might come across a team that are really enjoying themselves. A collective of twenty-two stupidly talented teenage lads who enjoy nothing more than documenting the 600+ goals they’ve amassed over three and a bit seasons, ripping their way through the Southend leagues in their shimmering pink kit.
It started as a group of seven players, six of whom attended the same school, and were led by star goal machine Archie Sheppard and the recruitment of Concord Rangers first team player Elliot Johnson. Their opening game was, and you have read this correctly, 55-11. How a game features sixty-six goals, we’ll never understand, but Sheppard got twenty-two of them. It’s safe to say that they, and he, were off to a solid start. Despite the suspension of all grassroots football, they were promoted into the Championship. Championship defences beware.
Their goalkeeper of the first season, Ben Roberts, moved into a media / director of football / propaganda role upstairs, taking on the role of manager and videographer of the Tankers’ ascent. And thus, the Tommy Tankers brand was born. The squad swelled to twenty-two players, all from the ranks of some of Essex’s professional team’s academies in Southend and Colchester, as well as non-league clubs in Concord and Bowers & Pitsea.
With this kind of ability and soul-destroying victories comes a price. And the reducing tackles from opponents began to fly. Some parents decided that enough was enough and removed players from harm. This led to the decision to switch leagues, with the Tommy Tankers joining the 6s Premier Division, played on an eight-a-side pitch. There was still time for Archie Sheppard to bid farewell to the five-a-side leagues by scoring 100 goals in seven games. That’s around fourteen goals a game.
With space to express themselves and the reduction of ways to stop them, they joined the six-a-side league, even bringing in a sponsorship deal with RAMtalks podcast, acquiring more kit, production equipment and a GoPro camera. But the Southend six-a-side Premier League contains local “giants” Smack My Pitch Up, with a roster of forty players across several teams and divisions. Small-sided football really is a world of its own.
The Tommy Tankers were beaten in their first encounter, then lost a friendly. How would they react? Well, in dramatic fashion, in the last game of the year, on the last time slot at 9.15pm, and with fifty-to-sixty people watching a small-sided game, they won 7-6. Celebrations went long into the night.
The lads continue to express themselves both on and off the pitch. They announced a new podcast, TANKERStalk, and have a documentary releasing at the end of their fourth season which starts with that famous night, and the win against SMPU.
It’s a brilliant way to create a fun, exciting brand and small-sided dynasty at Goals. And what most of us would have done to have had the ability to document and be so creative with something we all loved doing with our mates in our younger years. The lads love it. And so they should. They mention how much it does for their mental health, having something to look forward to each week, as well as how Goals Southend has the best pitches and the best refs around, and seems to be the perfect environment for them to keep on doing what they love. Scoring goals, and building the brand of the Tommy Tankers. Good luck to ’em. TGP
