Football is the most popular game in the world. Now, I’m not sure if that is 100% fact, however, the fact remains that the game is viewed and played by millions of people the world over and can often lead to discussion, friendships, and other relationships that you may not usually have had. One of these relationships is with exercise. Football is a great way to exercise, and there are many forms of the sport to choose from, one of those being 5 a side which we are looking at today.
5 a side football has many benefits to it, including:
Running – Playing 5 a side football encourages running, with short sprints around the pitch commonplace. Running will provide a good cardiovascular workout for you and if completed regularly it will improve your overall fitness, strength and agility.
Hand Eye Coordination – Different throwing techniques are used in netball to pass the ball to teammates, and this encourages the improvement of hand eye coordination, which will benefit you in the game, but also in everyday life too.
Flexibility – The nature of 5 a side football means that you will be moving and turning a lot to be able to pass balls to, and receive balls from, your teammates. Regular activity like this will improve your overall flexibility and again this will help both in sport and your life in general. As the space available on a 5 a side pitch is pretty scarce, you will need to be flexible to move around and create space.
Positivity – It is proven that people who are engaged in sport have a clearer mind, and are therefore less at risk of suffering from a mental health issues. Sport (as with any exercise) releases endorphins which create a feeling of happiness and satisfaction, and this is a big plus and a big reason why you should be getting yourself involved with 5 a side football (and any other exercise you can!)
If you live in London and enjoy football as much as millions of people across the world do, then don’t hang around! Get a group of mates or work colleagues together, and sign up to a league today. It is a great relationship building tool, and will help you maintain your fitness, or build your fitness up depending on where you are presently.
To point you in the right direction on where to start please take a look online using a reputable search engine. There are many different providers of 5 a side football leagues in London for you to choose from. You can sign up as a team and play with people you know, or you can sign up as an individual and become part of a team to encourage the building of new relationships.
If you have any queries and / or questions about joining a league, contact the league provider and they will give you the breakdown of everything you need to know to get you started on your new footballing journey.
5 a side football – great all round!
Happy ‘balling!