[Closed] 5 aside football- do you?

Used to but factored there was more chance of getting injured doing that than riding stupidly fast down rocky hills! To many dick heads playing in the local leagues!

I wouldn't go near the local leagues. As above, lots of idiots playing. We have a friendly game every week. Its good fun. Bit of banter but no nasty challenges and the occasional pint afterwards. It's pretty knackering and I certainly feel it the next day. Much harder on the legs than cycling.

I used to play in the local sports ctr league, for the referees association, when I was actively Reffing in the area. That used to sometimes get a bit tasty, fortunately being in goal in my protected area meant I rarely got a bad challenge, just the joy of a ball slammed into you face / nuts from 5 yards on a regular basis. Those soft furry balls still hurt, even if they don't have the slap of a proper caser.

Best / worst I saw was at the annual referees association 5 a sides, when all the county ra's came together. Full on fist fights! I know most people think local league refs are speccy school teachers with a Hitler complex, some of the inner city ra refs looked like they were on day release for the occasion!!

When did you last play Hora?
I've played for the last 30years (am 40 now) and it ruins me.
5 and 7 aside are fast games so you really need to put yourself about even if the games are quite short. Factor in the kids also.... Fast little bastards, I struggle to catch them now even to bring them down

I used to play at work in a sort of informal "league" against other units/departments. Matches against the tactical aid unit resembled a scene from The Mean Machine 🙂

When did you last play Hora?

25yrs ago?

This ruftie-sounding stuff, so I can't trip over my own foot, go down with an anguished/agonised look as I pass someone into the box and get a penalty then? 😆

I think if you find a group at a similar level its great, but knackering, I play most weeks with a group of 30-40 yr olds and since most of us want to keep playing no ones getting kicked up a height, Don't think its helped my bike fitness at all ( running 5k a few times a week did, but its boring….)

I used to play after work and then at work when I worked out at Barclays and they had their own pitches. Even after not playing for a month or so, the first game back will kill you.

I've not played for a few years now but might be starting again soon - its going to hurt. A LOT!

I started playing again about 5 years ago after a break of about 15 years. I'm now 43 and still play for an hour every week. Usually about 7 a side depending on how many turn up. We play on astro outdoors under lights on a really nice pitch - only £3 per player per game. I remember the first few weeks being really painful but now I guess my body has got used to it. Don't think it's improved my fitness but really good fun. We take it easy and don't allow sliding tackles etc. But most weeks someone usually goes down in a heap after a hefty challenge.

Will it indirectly help riding fitness?

No, but theres a very good chance it'll **** your knees up.

People play five a side, then take up cycling when their knees are shot. Not the other way around, you spanner

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Played fairly regular in my 20s. But I just came of of retirement 4 weeks ago at the grand old age of 36. I'm loving being back but its tough going. Had a wee bit of a break through in that a managed to stay out of goals last week for most of the game and just took my turns in.

Luckily last week was a slower game than usual, I'm playing with an age range of 22 year old to 36 year olds, so it can get very intense.

Fives fitness is vastly different from cycling or even jogging IMO. Much tougher as its all twisty and turny and fast sprints. I reckon its making me stronger overall. Its definitely not hindering the cycling. Well until I injure myself! 😆 I'd been playing badminton recently which negates some of the aches but not all.

I'm playing tonight, really looking forward to it.

I currently play twice a week, friendly games. Played league 5aside for about 15 years until family commitments made it awkward and it started getting tough getting the team together, that was about 4 years ago. It was sometimes rough, with the odd fight breaking out - always the lesser skilled teams/players being out skilled on the pitch.
Indoor friendlies are great fun and good for general fitness, but not a lot of use specifically for cycling. I also get a few knocks and know it will be my first sport I retire from 🙁 (plenty of life yet mind)

I'm not angry or violent enough

[i]Will I be wiped out/shattered/knackered?! Will it indirectly help riding fitness?[/i]

I started playing at 40. Could kick the ball where I wanted it to go, and defend well, but not much else. Improved massively, still not like the blokes who've played all their lives and have that "natural" skill, but not bad for a 50 year old.
Riding fitness definitely helps - sprint and recovery are the main benefits. However... your joints won't like it. My knees and ankles are in a mess from 10 years of middle-aged 5-a-side. Occasionally my knee meniscus tear plays up during a game, but I love playing and will only stop when I have to!

[edit]yes, it's friendly games with work colleagues, - tried joining in with the league stuff some of them play of an evening, but that was too hard and kept getting injured.

Did Pitch Invasion (5 aside league) for about 5 years but stopped when the aggro levels beat the fun levels. Echo the comments above re sprint/recovery and joints. Enjoy a friendly kick about now (less commitment for a start) but miss the intensity of the league, just a shame there are so many meatheads living out their mean machine fantasies.

Northwind - Member
I'm not angry or violent enough

Though I will give ye that in some leagues there are plenty of skill compensators out to hurt ye!

I've played for the last 8 years or so and find it good to mix up the cycling

I also heard that too much cycling can shorten the Achilles - football is a good way to counter that (if it really happens)

I think it is a quite different cycle of exercise, think high intensity reps for 40 mins, rather than a few hours of sustained effort.

I am sure it must be good for you!

And you can't get tackled 'in the box'. You go in the penalty area as an outfield player, it's a free kick. Unless it's your own area, in which case you've given away a penalty

Absolutely knackering, the only thing on a par, even remotely is playing squash. Local leagues are full of dickheads, and things do get pretty heated.

Our local league has stopped now, as guy who ran it works away, but I think I'd rather just play with a bunch of mates for an hour a week.

My experience of 5's leagues is similar to others it's brutal with some right d*ck heads playing. If you play with walls then often it ends up like ice hockey, with people being smashed and worse. Social games between mates are more fun IMO.

Still it's hard work and good cardio, interval work. My best 10k running time came after a solid winter of 5's.

Used to play at a large AstroTurf place in Alperton. But, stopped going as there were some real morons who used to take the whole thing far too seriously and get very aggressive/shouty. Used to be some brutal tables too.

I'd play again, but only 'mates in the park' type stuff.

Was it Paul Scholes? When he retired temporarily he played 5 side to stay fit and he was knocking in 15 goals a game?

used to when worked at a research campus in cambridge, lunch time league all a good laugh

moved to london and a few of the guys played at a local school after work with some other mates of mates, was awful; got shinsplints from the concrete playground and some of the office types took it very seriously, obviously using it to agressively vent their issues after a day in the office

cant be arsed these days

I'm almost 40 *sad face* and play 7s with a mixed group but mostly in their mid 20s. Keeping up with them keeps me honest

However, after not having any injuries or broken bones all my life previously, in about 5 years I've (all done while footying despite riding bikes and snowboarding):
- slightly broken nose after being headed
- concussion and 4hrs memory loss from back-flipping standing on the ball due to a deceptively slow pitch
- torn MCL and out for 6 months
- smashed hand: dislocated and broken finger x 2, broken hand x 2, broken wrist
- EDIT broken big toe, missing the ball and booting someone

Still play every week though and am easily one of the fittest on the pitch

it requires a hefty dose of controlled aggression mind you but so do most sports

But yeah I don't play often, too much chance of injury, even ifit's only minor - plus they play on what is usually my rest day

Never mind the other people, I kept turning my ankle over just from the running stopping sprinting.

Great work out, and great fun if the mix of people is right, but just to dangerous for me to continue.

I play every week with mates and I'm starting to think about packing it in, it's the accidental ankle turning and 2 days of knee pain afterwards that worry me. I *really* don't want to be off the bike for months with a stupid injury.

shame as I reall enjoy it but it's not one of those things you can half do, it's only fun if you fully commit.

Sods law! Talk about injuries get injured! I think I jinxed myself with this thread! 🙁