Fancy a Kickabout?

from Stevenage July 2022

Have Tech, Will travel

Many of us loved playing football when we were kids. Some of us even kept it up through our teens. But life gets in the way and sport can fall by the wayside. If you’re missing getting out on the pitch rather than just cheering on your team, why not try five-a-side?

Why play?

Football is an excellent sport for developing all-round fitness. It builds stamina, improves coordination, and strengthens your muscles and bones. It’s also a good choice if you need to lose weight, reduce your blood pressure or lower your cholesterol (but do check with your GP first). And, of course, five-a-side is a social sport and can be a great stress reliever. As with any exercise, it’s important to build your fitness up gradually, and to do a proper warm-up and cool-down to help avoid injury.

Who can play

Kids, adults, men and women, with a range of abilities and disabilities, can all play five-a-side. One of the great things about five-a-side compared to regular football is that it’s played on a smaller pitch with fewer people for a shorter time. So you won’t have to run as far, you’ll get more time with the ball and you won’t get quite as worn out. If you’d rather not run at all, or mobility is an issue, why not try walking football? (See www. walkingfootball.com for details.) Are you a wheelchair user? Check out www.wheelpower.org.uk.

What you’ll need

First off, you’ll need a decent pair of football boots. The best type depends on the surface you’re playing on. Your local sports shop should be able to recommend suitable shoes, or www.5-a-side.com has an in-depth guide that’s worth checking out. If you’re just playing with friends, you can get away with wearing a T-shirt, sports shorts and football socks, but you’ll want to invest in a decent sweatwicking football shirt before too long. You can often borrow a football and bibs when you hire a pitch. However, you’ll likely want to buy your own football to practise with at home.

How to join

Despite the name, five a-side is often played by four to seven players on each side. If you know how to play and your friends are up for joining you, why not book a pitch at your local leisure centre? After a few practice matches, you might want to up the adrenaline by joining a local league, either by registering your own team or by joining an existing club as an individual. You can find details for all the different league organisers at www.thefa.com/getinvolved/player/5-a-side. Never played before or rather out of practice? You’ll find plenty of videos on YouTube explaining the rules. Many clubs welcome beginners, but you might want to start off more casually by just posting on social media or work boards to see if anyone fancies a kickabout.

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