Believed to be the only one of its kind in Oxfordshire and the surrounding Counties, The Over 50’s Premier League was founded in 2013/14 by a group of friends who wanted to continue to play competitive football on a regular basis.

What started out as just a handful of teams competing against each other for fun, has now turned into a fully affiliated football league, with seven teams participating in a full weekly fixture programme of competitive 11-a-side matches.

Officiated by FA qualified Referees, the League allow rolling subs and a maximum of three players per team aged between 45-50 to play in matches. Together with the introduction of 10 minute sin-bin penalties and a reduced game time of 80 minutes means that the league have found a format that allows those Over 50’s to play the game they love on a regular basis.

With the number of teams set to increase next season the popularity of the league, which allows clubs from outside Oxfordshire to register, looks set to thrive over the coming years.

Martin Woodley, The Over 50’s Premier League Secretary, said; “Our aim is to increase awareness of Over 50’s football and encourage more teams to join the league. Matches are usually played on a Sunday mornings and teams can keep up-to-date with league fixtures, results, match stats and news items via our dedicated Full-Time website.”

With the league holding an Annual General Meeting on 6 June 2016 to allow new teams to join, and with the Football Foundation accepting applications for the ‘Grow The Game’ grant scheme until 10 March; offering clubs up to £1500 to start new football teams, there has never been a better time for clubs to get involved in the Over 50’s game.

For more information about the league, or how to apply for a grant to start a new team please contact Sarah Wood, Football Development Manager for Oxfordshire FA on 01993 894405 or via email on sarah.wood@oxfordshirefa.com