Football is a part of many people’s lives, and today it is a multinational sport played by people of all races and religions. Go anywhere in the world, and the chances are you will move past somebody, somewhere, playing football. Over here in England, we are fortunate to have some of the best players in the world ply their trade here (Sanchez, Aguero, Ibrahimovic to name just a few), and this engages more and more people into becoming interested in both watching and playing the sport.
And there is also a huge drive at the moment to get people more active with the government spending a fortune on advertising the benefits of a healthy diet and plenty of exercise and so one of the great ways that you can do this is to play sports like football. And the amazing thing is that when you are playing a game that you love you can have a great time and also do that body some serious good and so it’s a win-win situation all round.
Playing football can come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from 5 a side, 6 a side, and 7 a side, right the way through to the mainstream 11 a side that is played in stadiums across the globe. The amount of players that are in the game does make a huge difference to the actual game, so even though it’s on a smaller pitch with fewer players it still gives a far more intense and involving experience with fewer players.
Focussing on the lower amount of players in the 5 a side format, this is becoming more and more popular with groups of friends and work colleagues as it is easy to set up a team and get the ball rolling in terms of enrolling into a league and playing games, plus it is usually more cost effective to play this form over 11 a side.
11 a side is a great game, and comes with a lot of the same health benefits as playing the 5 a side format, however 5 a side football is proven to be even better for you as it juices up the benefits even more due to the fact that there are more intense movements made, more time spent at a higher heart rate, etc. Some of the other benefits football can provide is lowering of cholesterol and blood pressure, increased bone density, and from a mental point of view it can help to refresh your mind and soul. It has been proven that people playing football on a regular basis have a clearer mind, and are less susceptible to mental health issues.
If you live in London and enjoy football as much as we do, then don’t hang around! Get a group of mates or work colleagues together, and sign up to a 5 a side league today. It is a great relationship building tool, and will help you maintain your fitness, or build your fitness up depending on where you are presently. And it’s even a great team building tool too so if you are looking to improve relations at work then something like this can work really well and really improve the team spirit within your group.
To point you in the right direction on where to start please take a look at http://5aside.org where social 5 a side football leagues in London are organised right across London in 25 different locations, for people and teams of all levels of fitness and ability. So you can easily get involved, there are teams, leagues and tournaments all over the city and so if you’re looking to play some five a side in London then just head over to that web site.
It will probably be one of the best things that you ever did as the competition and fun that you can have is immense, there is an amazing team spirit and lots of fun to be had and so you really can have a great time. So, it’s an amazing way of getting in better shape and having a great time at the same time, and who knows you may even win some of the competitions and enjoy the glory that comes with that!
So with our love of the beautiful game it’s no surprise that lots of people love to play five a side and have a great time with their mates, you can also meet lots of new people with the games that you play and also travel all over London and so there are lots of benefits to be enjoyed.
If you have any queries and / or questions about joining a league, please ask the guys at 5aside.org who will be only too happy to help and give you the advice and guidance you need.
Happy ‘balling!
