If you have ever typed “find football games near me” into your phone on a grey Tuesday evening, you already know the feeling. There is a particular kind of itch that only a football pitch can scratch. Maybe you’ve just moved to a new town and don’t know a soul. Maybe you’ve watched one too many matches from the sofa and decided it’s finally time to lace up your own boots again but you don’t have ten mates on standby, you’re not sure which local pitches are any good and the thought of committing to a full league season feels like a lot to take on.
Whatever brought you here, you’re in the right place. At Football for All, finding and joining a casual game near you takes about two minutes, costs roughly the price of a coffee and asks nothing of you beyond turning up. We organise every one of our games through Footy Addicts, the UK’s home of casual football and this guide walks you through exactly how it works, what our games are actually like, how to find one near you and how to book your spot for the very first time.
Who are Football for All?
At Football for All, we believe there is a place in football for every player. We are a non-profit organisation and we bring inclusive, social games to communities across England, Scotland and Wales. Some of the people who play with us have loved football their whole lives. Others are coming back after years away or trying it for the very first time. Whatever your age, background or ability, you are welcome in our games.
There’s more to it than fitness, though your legs will know about it the next morning. What brings people back week after week is everything around the football. You turn up not knowing anyone, get put on a team and within the hour you’re shouting for a pass like you’ve played together for years. For a lot of our players, that game becomes the bit of the week they look forward to most.
Why we run our games on Footy Addicts
To make joining a game as effortless as possible, we manage all of our sessions through Footy Addicts. If you haven’t come across it before, Footy Addicts is a social football platform that has been connecting players with local games since 2013. It is the app that lets you find a pitch near you, see exactly what is on and book your place. All from your phone, in a handful of taps.
It is also genuinely well used, with a large community of players right across the country and thousands of casual games organised every month. That scale is part of why it works so well. There is almost always a game on somewhere near you and the process for joining one is refreshingly simple. The whole model comes down to three words. Find, book, play.
What a Football for All game actually looks like
This is where it helps to be specific so let’s paint the picture properly.
Our games are small-sided, which keeps everyone busy and involved from start to finish. Depending on the venue, you’ll be playing formats such as 6-a-side or 8-a-side on floodlit 3G/4G pitches. Most games last around an hour. There are no referees and no coaches shouting from the touchline and the teams are sorted out on the night.
Every Football for All game has a friendly game host. They are there to welcome you on the pitch, hand out the bibs, balance the teams and keep the whole game running smoothly and in good spirit. You do not need to know anyone and you genuinely do not need to be any good. You turn up, get put on a side and play.
To make that real, take our games in the North East as an example. At the time of writing, a typical week in Newcastle and Sunderland looks like this:
- 6-a-side at Kenton Park Sports Centre NE3 3LL — Mondays and Thursdays, 7pm
- 8-a-side at Leisure United Blakelaw NE5 3TS — Mondays, 8pm
- 8-a-side at Leisure United Bullocksteads NE13 8AH — Wednesdays, 8:30pm
- 8-a-side at Leisure United Ford SR4 0RW — Tuesdays, 8:30pm
Every one of those games costs just £5 to play and that single price covers the pitch, the bibs, the balls and your host. There’s no expensive membership, no signing-on fee and no obligation to come back. Though, fair warning, most people do.
How to find football games near me on Footy Addicts in 3 easy steps
Ready to find a game near you? Here is the simplest way to do it.
Step 1: Find a game
Go to the Footy Addicts games page and pick your area. You’ll get a list of what’s coming up, with the venue, the time, the format, the price, and how many spaces are left. If it says five spots open, there’s room for you. If it says waiting list, it’s full for now but join anyway, because people might drop out and places come back.
For example, you can browse all of our current West Midlands games here: Football for All games in the West Midlands on Footy Addicts. For any questions, you can message Football for All through the app at any time.
Step 2: Book it
Found one that works? Set up a free Footy Addicts account or log in if you’ve already got one, open the game and tap Join game. Check your name’s on the list and you’re done. Takes about thirty seconds.
Rather do it on your phone? The free Footy Addicts app is on the App Store and Google Play. Most of our regulars book that way and just glance at it each week to see where they’re playing.
Step 3: Turn up and play
That’s the work done. Get there a few minutes early, ask for the Football for All session, find the host, say hello. They’ll give you a bib and put you on a team. From kick-off you’re just another player and nobody’s checking your CV. Play your hour. Odds are you’ll be booking the next one before you’ve got back home.
What it costs, and what’s included
One of the best things about playing this way is how affordable and commitment-free it is. 80% of our games typically cost around £4-5 each, paid per game rather than as any kind of subscription. There are of course game packs available to keep the cost low. That small fee covers the pitch hire, the bibs and the game host who looks after the game. You pay only for the games you actually play so you’re never tied in and never out of pocket for the weeks you can’t make it.
Where Football for All plays
We organise weekly games in a growing number of towns and cities, including Newcastle, Sunderland, Sheffield, Liverpool, Derby, London, Manchester, Stockport, Leeds, Bristol, Southampton, Bath, Brighton, Birmingham, Nottingham, Coventry, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow with more being added all the time as we move into new communities. Wherever you happen to be, the fastest way to see what’s near you is simply to search your area on Footy Addicts. We also run dedicated sessions through our Football for All Women programme.
Frequently asked questions
What if it’s my first time? You’re very welcome, whatever your ability. Our hosts keep an eye out for new players and small-sided games are easy to settle into. It helps to give your host a quick hello when you arrive so they can make sure you feel at home from kick-off.
Do I need to bring a team or know anyone? Not at all. You book as an individual and the teams are sorted on the night by your game host. The vast majority of players turn up on their own.
What format are the games? Small-sided, commonly 5-a-side or 8-a-side depending on the venue and played on 3G and 4G pitches.
Who can play? Our social games are open to adults aged 18 and over, of all genders, backgrounds and skill levels. We also run women’s sessions through our dedicated programme.
What kind of footwear is appropriate for the pitch? Suitable footwear for these pitches includes Astro Turf Trainers (TF) or Artificial Ground Boots (AG Boots).
Find your game this week
Playing football as a grown-up was never meant to be hard work. The running, fair enough. The rest of it shouldn’t be. No team to round up, no season to sign your life away to, nothing between you and a decent game this week.
So next time you go to find football games near me on your phone, you know where to look. Pick your area on Footy Addicts, find one of ours that suits you, and book your spot. And if something’s been keeping you off a pitch for a while, we’d love to hear what. Come down. We reckon you’ll be glad you did.
