Sunday League football

[Bobby the blue]

I’m just reading a book called “we are Sunday league” Really good book and brings back a lot of memories for me. I loved playing Sunday league football, for a few years me and my mates had a cracking side, won loads of leagues and cups and had just the best times, that we were all close mates and had some real talented footballers in the team made it even more enjoyable. The banter the pub after the game the shite warm ups smacking the ball at the keeper for 10 minutes constituting the warm up whilst the opposite team went through drills etc with cones.

where I live 20 years ago there used to be about 8 divisions, now you are lucky if there are 3. Seems such a decline in such a great time for lads/young men. Not sure if this is the case around the country but hoped after COVID etc things will pick up again.

Then you had all the classics in every team.
The old lump at the back who could hardly move but would absolutely bash the centre forward with his first challenge and get away with it.

the pacy winger who would over do it with the step overs and wonder why he got smashed in the knees by the full back.
The forward who always wore the most expensive boots, ankle socks over his football socks and wore flip flops after the game as he saw it on the tv. Would score a goal but then go missing for the rest of the game.

The young lad who has just been released from Crystal place/charlton/millwall/Leyton orient who when you actually saw him play realised he was bullshitting and was crap.

Then finally the the lad who turns up says he is left footed and is immediately told “ yep we need a left back son. Even if that’s not where he plays.
I’m sure there are lots of of anecdotes I have missed out or other people have, apologies if this has been discussed before but just having a read and fancied a chat about it.

 

[jordtheblue]

I've been player/manager of a local Sunday league side since I was 19. 30 now and the decline in participants in that time is incredible. We have 8 or 9 teams now in 5 leagues, when I started there were so many more of both! Going back another 10 years when I was watching my old man and there were 9 or 10 leagues with 12 teams in each.

It's sad really and I'm not completely sure what it's down too. I know first hand that running a team isn't the cheapest thing to do; subs for players have increased and the pitches are getting worse. Just think younger lads can't be arsed to get up in the morning after a night on the piss if I'm honest.

Sounds like a decent read, will have a look for it!

 

[Asa's left peg]

Yeah, great times playing at the stadium of wind and light (Hough End), Fletcher Moss, Fog Lane, etc.

Our team organised a few 'tours'. The first one set off from the Albert Inn in Didsbury on a double decker bus. Game in Ostend, game in Amsterdam and finally Paris. The official attire were QPR shirts with Guinness on the front. Got to the first game and nobody had put the kit on board and had to swap the QPR shirts for a shit yellow and green kit from the Belgian team. Great days.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

Played in enough red recs as a kid.
If you went over you’d be lucky to not get up with two bloody knees.
I remember once pulling my groin in a warm up and some bastard joyfully spraying my goodies with that spray embrocation…

 

[Newman Noggs]

Played Sunday League for 20 years and recognise all those stereotypes.

For some reason we always had trouble getting a goalie. On one morning the manager had recruited a new lad to play in goal and, to make sure he arrived, the manager went to pick up him from his home. Just after he got in the car he said he had to post a letter. The manager pulled up by the post box, the lad leapt out and ran off down the road. I had to play in goal.

 

[richardtheref]

When I played Sunday football there was a lad who we managed to get to play who was an x pro. Had played 2 seasons at Coventry & 1 at Derby. Best footballer I had seen at that level. However, you quickly found out why he never got on at a pro club. You had to tell him ko time was an hour before the actual ko time to ensure he got to the ground. Even then he was sometimes late.

Best team name was a team of workers from Asian restaurants in Darlington. Called themselves Real Madras.

There was also a team who were run from the Cumberland Arms pub in Bishop Auckland. Rather than name themselves after the pub the team were called The Sausage

 

[Bobby the blue]

Yes goalkeepers were a rare commodity in Sunday league. I played in goal and even now although I’m 40 I still get asked to have a game as the teams keeper isn’t available. Two weeks ago I took my kids to the local park and bumped into a lad I knew from years back. Conversation turned to football then the inevitable “ we could do with a keeper if your interested “ I politely declined as I can hardly move after a game with my kids these days.

with regards to team names there was actually a team called inter me Nan from around 20 years ago and had a chuckle to myself when I saw a poster on here had it as their username.

 

[theres only one carlito]

Hated putting the nets up, ball ache. and the back of transit vans smell of deep heat and farts. Great days ;-)

 

[johnevans]

When I played Sunday football there was a lad who we managed to get to play who was an x pro. Had played 2 seasons at Coventry & 1 at Derby. Best footballer I had seen at that level. However, you quickly found out why he never got on at a pro club. You had to tell him ko time was an hour before the actual ko time to ensure he got to the ground. Even then he was sometimes late.

Best team name was a team of workers from Asian restaurants in Darlington. Called themselves Real Madras.

There was also a team who were run from the Cumberland Arms pub in Bishop Auckland. Rather than name themselves after the pub the team were called The Sausage

Your post reminded me of when Scotland's Willie Johnston was sent home in disgrace at the start of World Cup 78 in Argentina for failing a drugs test. Back home in Glasgow, a Sunday.league team immediately tried to change its name to 'Racing Mescalin'.. Footy fans, eh? Such wags!

 

[Sky Blue Thinking]

Sad to see the decline of amateur football. Many pubs had a team at one time and Sunday afternoons (in the days of 2pm then 3pm closing) in pubs were often busy. Every team had its own characters including the non playing stalwarts who would put nets up, retrieve balls and get players out of bed to turn out hungover from Saturday nights. Pub closures cant have helped but in the space of a generation a thriving amateur football scene has all but disappeared. All day Sunday opening and Sky football may have been a factor in the decline.