Weekly Sunday League Football (SLF) gatherings have become sterling tradition across Britain. The games and leagues are well organised while the whole thing maintains an easy accessibility and stays highly competitive. One of the best things about SLF is that it covers all ages and although played commonly at an adult level there are loads of youth teams. In Sheffield, on the youth side of things, there are boy’s leagues from Under 7s to Under 16s, running from divisions A to F, as well as a league for the girls. I asked Matthew Hardman, Chairman of Junior Sheffield SLF why people were willing to get up so early of a Sunday morning for SLF? “They do it because they love to play the beautiful game!” he laughed.

So do you have to be good? Anyone can play SLF and you don’t need to be at a high level to get involved. Matt explained that many young people play “not because they are very good, but for the fun of the sport”. And that “regardless of ability, there’s always a team out there who will take players on.” So what about me? I play for Millhouses Juniors, who, according to my calculations, are the 43rd highest ranked Under 16’s team in the Sheffield & District area. Pretty good, yeah? Well…maybe not, but after playing for them for as long as my memory serves me, I’ve formed an attachment to the club. What keeps me coming back every year is the team spirit and the crack we have every weekend. As you may have guessed, we’ve had our fare share of defeats, dodgy refs
and crap weather…but that doesn’t matter, despite this
we stick together and keep going. That’s what it’s all about
(Connor wipes away his tears).

But if you’re interesting in taking your football more seriously outside of school or college, SLF is the perfect place to start because if you’re good you’ll have the opportunity to compete at a higher

level. I asked Matt what tips he has for aspiring footballers, he advised “They first and foremost need to enjoy themselves. They need to be fit and be committed. They need to listen to and respect the decisions of their coaches. There are some really good coaches out there in Sheffield. And if they want to get to the top they’ve got to be prepared to give it 100%.”

So why bother getting your boots on? Personally, I would strongly advise anyone to have a go. I would go as far as to say that there are even benefits of SLF over the illustrious Premier League, because although the quality is not as high, Sunday League is easily accessible to all, unlike the increasingly over priced Premiership games, and it maintains grass-roots footie as a community spirited game. And as Matt pointed out, “there is less pressure on the footballers as it is more for enjoyment because they are not playing for mega-money.” Plus you still get the competition and a half decent audience! If you go down to your local park on a Sunday morning to any SLF game, you’ll notice the wide variety of people in the crowd and a friendly and lively atmosphere. Family and friends often go along as well as those who simply take an interest in grass-roots footie.

There’s a lot of things you can get out of Sunday League Football. I asked Matthew Hardman what he’s seen young people gain from getting involved, “A sense of fun, enjoyment, belonging, teamwork, and camaraderie”. And from a players’ perspective, I have to agree young people get a definite sense of belonging out of playing for a team, as well as some great mates and the obvious fitness benefits that come from regular physical exercise. If you enjoy playing footie, I guarantee you will love Sunday League. You’ll learn lots, keep fit, have a laugh and improve your game all at the same time! No wonder it’s so popular.

By Connor Tyrell