Five-a-side football is a game which fields five players on each team, consisting of four outfield players and a goalkeeper. The pitches used are smaller than the regular 11 a side ones, smaller goals are used and the game duration can vary anywhere from 5-20 minutes each half. Matches can be played indoors or outdoors on astro turf or artificial grass pitches that may be enclosed within a barrier or “cage” to prevent the ball from leaving the playing area and keep the game flowing.
Rules
- There is no offside rule.
- The ball is not allowed to go over head height otherwise the opposition is awarded an indirect free kick.
- Only the goalkeeper is allowed in the penalty area, outfield players are not allowed to go in there. If done, it can result in a penalty kick being awarded to the opposition.
- Goalkeepers are only allowed to roll the ball under arm, if anything else is done (over arm throw, kicking the ball) this could result in the opposition being awarded a penalty or indirect free kick.
- Slide tackling is not allowed.
- The goalkeeper can only kick the ball if it is in the course of making a save.
- Yellow cards may result in the offending player being sent to the sin bin for a pre-determined length of time. Red cards work in the same way as the 11-a-side game.
Appropriate Clothing And Footwear
In five-a-side football, football studs are not allowed, astro turf boots, trainers or some moulded (rubber) studs are allowed depending on the surface. If you are playing indoors then atsro turfs or trainers are suitable, for outdoors, all the above are ok. Shin pads are usually required when playing in a league but if it is a friendly then the rules can vary. Tracksuit bottoms or shorts are suitable for five-a-side football, the latter being the better choice as you get a better range of mobility.
Five-A-Side Outlets
- Goals
- Power league
- Sports/leisure centres
Playing Five-A-Side Football
Whether you are just looking to play football with mates or look to enter in to a mid-week league, at both Goals and Power League outlets you can pay a fee to play or sign up to a league and play weekly matches against other teams in the league. You also have cup matches to add to the league games so there is even more chance for silverware. There are usually different levels of leagues like in the football league and you have to earn your way to the top league by winning your league. The top team of each league gets a winners trophy and the runner up gets a runners up trophy/medal.
Tournaments
Every so often, goals and power league host tournaments where teams can enter with the chance to win trophies, money, football kits etc depending on what prize was pre-arranged for that tournament. These usually last a few hours depending on each team’s progress throughout the tournament. Similar to how they do it in the champion’s league, you have a group stage followed by knock out rounds, only difference is the knock out round is only one leg instead of two. Each team must register a minimum of five players and a maximum of seven/eight players depending on tournament rules. There is usually a signing up fee which can vary in price depending on the tournament, age of players and where it is.
