NFR - 5 a Side

[fulhamfever]

Anyone still play 5 a side football? And do you prefer it to 11 a side. Me personally found 11 a side boring compared to 5 a side. I love the fast pace.

[filham]

We used to play 5 a side indoors on a hard floor so falls hurt a bit, but yes, it was good but did not really match the real thing.
No heading of course so could become more acceptable and may give an indication as to how eleven a side games may look without heading.
My earliest football was in the school playground with a small ball and that was played with any number available on each side, that too was enjoyable. The the fact is I could not resist  playing any form of football , in the street or a kick about on Eelbrooke Common with coats for goalposts were all a magnet to me.

Times have changed and I suspect modern youngsters demand full facilities of quality.

[fulhamfever]

Well I am in my 30's and still is my best escape from reality for Mental Health purposes as well. Look forward to it twice a week.
Best part with coats and jackets as goal posts is you could make the goal smaller LOL slowly and nobody would notice until they keep missing their chances and realise the goal is only the length of a gate.

[filham]

Well I am in my 30's and still is my best escape from reality for Mental Health purposes as well. Look forward to it twice a week.
Best part with coats and jackets as goal posts is you could make the goal smaller LOL slowly and nobody would notice until they keep missing their chances and realise the goal is only the length of a gate.

Pleased to read your post and to hear that you are enjoying basic football.
Of course the beauty of the game is that it can be played anywhere with only minimal and cheap equipment by the poorest of people, that is why it has spread around the word so successfully.

The pitty right now is that big money plays such an important part in the game.

[southwest6]

i'm biased because i'm a CM who likes to slide tackle and ping long balls, so prefer 7 to 11 a side games (slight preference for 8 a side games). That said, I do feel that 5-a-side games are great to improve your technical ability as it teaches one to play a bit faster.  To play 5 a side well you need to have a decent first touch!

[Jim©]

I've always thought 7 aside is the sweet spot, more touches, big enough pitch to play on, more testing goal sizes etc.
Though love 11 aside still.

[legana]

I always realised just how unfit I was playing 5-a-side as the ball doesn't really go out of play. Used to go to Power Leagues in Croydon but it was all a bit too competitive. Eventually went to Goals but stopped as it became difficult getting people to commit each week as people were working etc.

[RaySmith]

We used to play 5 a side indoors on a hard floor so falls hurt a bit, but yes, it was good but did not really match the real thing.
No heading of course so could become more acceptable and may give an indication as to how eleven a side games may look without heading.
My earliest football was in the school playground with a small ball and that was played with any number available on each side, that too was enjoyable. The the fact is I could not resist  playing any form of football , in the street or a kick about on Eelbrooke Common with coats for goalposts were all a magnet to me.

Times have changed and I suspect modern youngsters demand full facilities of quality.

I was the same, we used to play everywhere, all the time - playground, the  street, park, didn't matter that we rarely had a proper football, we used whatever was available, even just a tennis ball, or a deflated plastic football.

I suppose park games were a bit more serious - jumpers for goal posts, and often a 'rush goalie', where I honed the defensive skills I'd learned from watching the likes of  George Cohen, Alan Mullery, jimmy Langley, and my role model, since he was a left-half like me, Eddie 'Sticks' Lowe, trying out the sliding tackles that you couldn't do in street or playground.

And we weren't going home to a nice warm shower either - we had no running hot water like most where I lived in Tulse Hill, or a bath - just a tin bath in front of the fire on Sunday evening, while listening to The Archers on the radio!

WE were football mad, no doubt about it, but ironically, there was nothing like the coverage of the game you get today - rare to see football on the TV even - if you wanted to se Fulham play, you had to actually attend games.

[RaySmith]

Well I am in my 30's and still is my best escape from reality for Mental Health purposes as well. Look forward to it twice a week.
Best part with coats and jackets as goal posts is you could make the goal smaller LOL slowly and nobody would notice until they keep missing their chances and realise the goal is only the length of a gate.

I also find sport crucial to help with mental health, running and cycling - road and mountain bike- I'd love to play football if I thought I could get a game, but don't think any local team would want someone in their 70's.

Good on you anyway, great your still enjoying your football, and getting so much out of it.
That's what sport should be - enjoyable.

Keep going as long as you can, don't worry about age, you're a long time dead.

[Sammyffc]

I played 5 & 7 a side in Medellin, Colombia when i lived there a while ago. It was like playing in the premier league of 5/7a side, when i came back here i felt like prime ronaldo for a few weeks, until i hit the kebabs again

[Andy S]

5 a side 7 a side and 11 a side are all completely different types of game. And now we have another type of game, walking football. It just go's to show that we enjoy being competitive at whatever level we can be.

[brightster]

Still playing a good standard of indoor 5 a side on Sunday evenings at the age of 58, it's very good fitness runout cover about 5k in an hour (12 mins in goal), and agree with other posters very good for the mental health, being part of a squad.
It's run by a friend of a friend who's been doing it for about 30 years, I've only been playing 3 years now regularly, he's got a squad of 17 but only 10 core players which I am now 1, if someone from the main squad can't make it then he has a list of the other 7, we all take a turn in goal, great fun but is very competitive.
Also help out playing 6 a side outside on 5g pitches some Monday nights in Woking, when the league is in season if the team are one short, totally different game to 5 a side but still enjoyable even though am the oldest by a long way in the team!

[fulhamfever]

Glad to hear many still partake in Football of some level. I lost my father last week suddenly and truly realised how much Football twice a week helps me actually forget about life. You don't really get time to think in Footie as you are just switched on for the hour you got the pitch booked.

[southwest6]

Glad to hear many still partake in Football of some level. I lost my father last week suddenly and truly realised how much Football twice a week helps me actually forget about life. You don't really get time to think in Footie as you are just switched on for the hour you got the pitch booked.

Really sorry to hear that mate. I hope you find the strength to get through this. And most importantly, be easy on yourself.

Glad to hear the football is making things a bit easier for you - I for one can totally relate to that. I am playing tonight although it will be in the minus degrees here in Berlin.  :016:

[fulhamfever]

Glad to hear many still partake in Football of some level. I lost my father last week suddenly and truly realised how much Football twice a week helps me actually forget about life. You don't really get time to think in Footie as you are just switched on for the hour you got the pitch booked.

Thanks mate hope you won.

Really sorry to hear that mate. I hope you find the strength to get through this. And most importantly, be easy on yourself.

Glad to hear the football is making things a bit easier for you - I for one can totally relate to that. I am playing tonight although it will be in the minus degrees here in Berlin.  :016: