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Following up his investigation into the decline of open age football in Bolton, Marc Higginson looks at the rise of small-sided leagues

WHILE traditional open age amateur football is struggling to survive in Bolton, one form of the beautiful game is going from strength to strength.

Small-sided football, which sees teams field five, six or seven players, is thriving in the town as more and more people play in local leagues.

There are small-sided leagues throughout Bolton, but one of the biggest is at Bolton Arena where 5,000 people and 216 teams play every week.

The other main leagues are Power League at Leverhulme Park, Burnden Sevens at Burnden Park, and Manor Fives at Kearsley.

These are seen by many as the reason why established leagues like the Bolton Sunday League are struggling for numbers. But Bolton Arena's football manager Marcus Brown believes small-sided football is as important to the local community as the traditional 11-a-side leagues.

"As the pressure of day-to-day lifestyles increases, small-sided football offers a quick and easy stress release," said Brown, who was involved in the first outdoor league in the region when he set up Burnden Sevens in 1987.

"Small-sided football takes up only one hour, as opposed to all afternoon. There is less travelling because teams all play under one roof.

"Family men can't afford to be away from the home and kids all afternoon. Small-sided leagues operate seven days a week with a variety of day and evening kick-off times which suit people such as family men, women and shift workers perfectly.

"As for the Playstation kids, they don't see an hour as cutting too much into their computer time while their parents are happy just to see their children being distracted from spending all their time in front of a screen.

"Small-sided centres' facilities are of a high standard in terms of parking, reception, changing and shower areas. They all have a perfect pitch each week instead of mud baths, temporary changing rooms, tap-like showers and postponed games."

Bolton Sunday League stalwart Bob Shuttleworth reckons small-sided leagues are impacting on his league which, he says, struggles to compete with them.

"We do lose people to five-a-side leagues," said Mr Shuttleworth. "We also lose referees. Refs can earn more reffing a few games there than they can for 90 minutes in our league. And they can do that away from the elements."

Bolton Sunday League stalwarts reckon their competition will die should people like Mr Shuttleworth, who has given more than 25 years of service, ever pack in. And Brown echoes that sentiment.

"The people who work behind the scenes in 11-a-side football are disappearing," he said. "People no longer give up their time, and prefer to let people like us organise it for them.

"Bolton Arena is a charitable trust, and any surplus that we do make goes back into the Arena. We do offer community rates and that is why we are so successful.

"We cater for everyone, of every age, and any ability."

7:09pm Wednesday 2nd April 2008

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