Up and down the country 11-a-side football has returned but for many, football never stopped. Those who play 5-a-side get the benefit of playing year round which is just one of the many ways the 11-a-side game differs from small-sided football. With more people now choosing 5-a-side over 11-a-side, let’s take a look at the differentiators between the two.
You get more touches of the ball when playing 5-a-side
5-a-side pitches are much smaller than 11-a-side pitches which means as a player, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of the ball than you would playing 11-a-side.
Is this always a benefit? Probably not if you’ve had a few too many beers the night before – left back is a great place to hide on an 11-a-side pitch (with the exception of when the other team start targeting your lack of fitness).
It’s in footballers’ DNA to want the ball at their feet though and the closest thing without hogging the ball you’re going to get to that is by playing 5-a-side.
Of course, the benefit of seeing more of the ball…
You’ll get better at football by playing 5-a-side
More touches doesn’t only mean more fun, it means more skill – just like most things in life, the key to improvement is repetition.
We often get comments about the dramatic improvements our customers saw in their 11-a-side game once they started playing 5-a-side regularly.
The frequency of passing, first time control and shooting in 5-a-side matches meant they were improving at a vastly quicker rate than they would’ve done had they stuck to playing just 11-a-side.
5-a-side makes way for your schedule
One of the key differences between 5-a-side and 11-a-side is when you play. 11-a-side is pretty much set in stone – Saturday afternoons or Sundays are almost non-negotiable.
This means that people frequently plan their days and weekends around football. With 5-a-side you have the option to fit football in to your schedule rather than the other way around.
At Gol we try to take customer convenience above and beyond other 5-a-side providers. Looking to play straight after work? Perhaps you need to get home, have food and put the kids to bed. Want to play 5-a-side as well as 11-a-side and need enough time to recover in time for the weekend?
With a vast variety of leagues ranging from 6:15PM kick offs to 9:15PM kick offs on weekdays and an evening league on Sundays we try to offer everyone the chance to play football regularly – when it suits them.
The enforcement of stricter bans for racist/homophobic language and violent conduct
In the small confinements of a 5-a-side pitch, there is very little you can get away with without the referee noticing. As a private 5-a-side provider that means we can choose how to punish the very rare negative incidents that happen on the pitch.
We thoroughly believe that football is an inclusive sport and that is why we are unapologetic when we issue life bans to those rare incidents of discriminatory language.
Of course, the safety and well being of our customers is a huge priority with foul play, violent conduct and other physical harm resulting in bans from a minimum 4 weeks to a life ban depending on the severity.
The zero-tolerance policies we have adopted are perhaps something not seen in the 11-a-side game – even at the highest levels.
Postponements are rare and even more rarely weather-related in 5-a-side
One of the most frustrating elements of 11-a-side is dealing with the elements, especially in Wales. We’ve all been victim to match cancellations but during particularly bad stretches of weather, you could find yourself going up to a month without a game.
How do we deal with this? Our 5-a-side league pitches are all-weather meaning that even during the worst rain