Five-a-Side Football

Summary Many local authority sports centre managers have long maintained that they could fill their sports halls with 5-a-side football at peak times and it is undoubtedly the case that it is one of the most popular indoor sports activities. As football is an outdoor game, however, many local authorities have responded by providing outdoor multi-courts used for 5-a-side, as well as other activities such as basketball, netball and tennis, with the intention of easing the pressure on indoor facilities. The commercial sector, too, has seen an opportunity and developed specialist 5-a-side centres, although they are exclusively outdoor. Anchor International Ltd (formerly trading as Pitz Super Soccer centres, but now as Power League) was the first company to develop these centres, but others, such as Fives, Goals, Champions League and Soccaerobics, have since entered the market.