Tag: football

by Mike Birchall

CHRISTMAS CUP 2020

The annual SK Ballers Charity Christmas Cup took place on Monday 21st December, with 11 teams taking part to raise money for MIND on a cold, damp winter evening. Here’s how it went…

GROUP A

At the halfway point of Group A, it was apparent that qualification for the semi finals was going to come down to 4 of the 6 teams, as Holland FC and Phantom Brailians failed to pick up a point from their first three games. The McMuffin Men and Sale Madrid had taken early control of the group, with McMuffin Men beating RNE Albion Blue 1-0 in the opening game, and Sale Madrid beating Stroke Titty 3-0 in their second game. RNE remained in contention with a 1-0 win that effectively ended Stroke’s hopes, before McMuffin Men ran out surprisingly comfortable 3-0 winners over Sale to take a firm grip on the group and confirm their qualification. The second qualification spot came down to RNE and Sale, and Sale clinched their spot in the semis with a 3-1 win. All McMuffin Men had to do to top the group was avoid defeat in their final game with Stroke, and they just about did it as they played out a 1-1 draw.

Qualifiers:

1st: The McMuffin Men

2nd: Sale Madrid

GROUP B

Group B never seemed as straightforward, despite Buttner Ballers getting off to a flyer with a 4-0 win over Workies Bogs in the opening game. RNE Albion Purples took control with a pair of 1-0 wins, against Blue Riz and Ballers, before Blue Riz pulled off a surprise, beating fellow Tuesday league side and current Champions Deportivo La Corona 1-0 to keep themselves in the running. Workies Bogs were out after they lost their third game, 2-0 to RNE, while Ballers got back in contention with a 2-0 win over Blue Riz, which dented their chances of progressing. Deportivo found some form to shock RNE with a 2-1 win to give themselves a chance of making the semis, but they ended as they were beaten 1-0 by Ballers in the final game which saw Ballers top the group on goal difference.

Qualifiers:

1st: Buttner Ballers

2nd RNE Albion Purples

SEMI-FINALS & FINAL

Having kept things tight throughout most of their group games, it was no surprise that RNE Albion Purples were involved in a tight semi final against Group A winners The McMuffin Men. Having gone through the group stages unbeaten, McMuffin Men stumbled in their first knockout game, as RNE ran out 1-0 winners. Sale Madrid and Buttner Ballers are fairly familiar with each other, having faced off in the Monday league on a couple of occasions. Both of those full length games have resulted in draws, so we expected this to be tight, but Buttner Ballers adapted to the shorter format of the game to pick up a 2-0 win.

So to the final and it was Ballers who started the better and went 1-0 up as they attempted to reverse the result from the group stages against Purples, but they couldn’t see it out as Albion hit back to level things up and take the final to penalites. In the shootout it was Albion who held their nerve as two misses from Buttner Ballers handed them a 2-1 victory and the Christmas Cup trophy.

WINNERS: RNE ALBION PURPLES

Obviously the tournament is secondary to the money raised for charity, and we’re pleased to announce that the tournament cleared £340.18 which will be donated to MIND at the end of what has been a very difficult year for many, many people.

Many thanks to all teams who took part, and congratulations to RNE Albion Purples on their win.

A very Merry Christmas to all of our current, former and (hopefully) future customers, and here’s to brigher days ahead in 2021!

by Mike Birchall

WOODLEY LEAGUES RETURN!

We’ve been given the all clear to restart the leagues at Stockport Sports Village in Woodley from Wednesday 9th September!

With 6-a-side leagues running on a Wednesday and Thursday evening, here’s the information you need if you are looking to get involved.

WEDNESDAY LEAGUE

40 minute games

Kick off times between 7pm and 9.15pm (kick off time requests can be made if there’s any issues with playing at certain times)

£5 per player, per game

SPACES AVAILABLE FOR NEW TEAMS!

THURSDAY LEAGUE

35 minute games

Kick off times between 7pm and 8.20pm

£30 per team, per game

NEW SEASON STARTS 17TH SEPTEMBER

Post lockdown, the main change to the running of the leagues is that all payments are now taken at pitch side, rather than in the building. This makes it easier for everyone. Normal social discancing measures must be observed.

For more details or to register your team, head to the homepage and fill in a ‘Join A League’ form!

by Mike Birchall

SK BALLERS PROMOTIONAL VIDEO!

Covid might have come along to slow down the Ballers momentum, but work continues on the very first, in house Ballers promotional video.

Pre-lockdown, Delph & Safety were subject to the first batch of filming, with player interviews and match footage taken on the night by Viaduct Video. So far the 60 second clip below was the initial teaser of the footage that we got on the night.

Recently we were finally able to film part 2, as long standing Team Tom gave us some of their musings before getting involved in a highly entertaining game against fellow Ballers veterans Inter Your Sister.

Part 3 will hopefully follow in the coming weeks, with the full Ballers promotional video hopefully ready to be unleashed by October. As well as the full promotional video, we’ll also be turning the footage into three full team profile videos, which will become a regular thing as time goes on.

The team for the third profile video will be confirmed in the near future…

by Mike Birchall

NEW REDDISH LEAGUES STARTING SOON

A thoroughly successful first week out of lockdown is out of the way, and we have new leagues starting up in the next few weeks for anyone looking to sign up a new team or bring an old team out of retirement…

NEW SUNDAY LEAGUE STARTS 9TH AUGUST

Our biggest league night starts another new season in early August, and with pitch space almost limitless we can always find space for new teams to expand the league.

We have numerous options to incorporate teams in the first couple of weeks of the season, so if you miss the start date don’t let it stop you getting in touch to see what we can do.

Earliest games kick off at 4.30pm with latest games starting at 8.30pm, but if you struggle for later or earlier games we will do what we cna to accommodate any requirements.

NEW WEDNESDAY LEAGUE STARTS 19TH AUGUST

A bit more time to gather the troops for this one! Our Wednesday evening league is ideal for those teams who would like a fixed later kick off time each week. Our Wednesday league is one division with all games kicking off at 9pm every week, and we currently have ONE SPACE AVAILABLE for a lucky new team. We can squeeze a ‘pre-season’ friendly in on Wednesday 12th for teams who want to limber up ahead of the start of the new campaign.

All league games are 50 minutes long, priced at £5 per player, per game.

Head to the homepage, fill in a ‘Join A League’ form and we’ll be in touch to talk you through how everything works.

by Mike Birchall

TUESDAY LONGIES LADDER LEAGUES!

Here’s something new…

As we don’t know how much longer it will be before we can get back to full contact football, there is no point in setting up any more standard Longies Leagues, so here’s one that can run until we get the ok to start up again.

LADDER LEAGUE – How it will work!

  • Games kick off at 8pm every Tuesday, from 7th July
  • Maximum of 6 teams per week (first 6 to register play on the first week and have first ‘dibs’ on the second week, but new teams can join if spaces come up)
  • Each team will play 5x 8 minute games (2 mins between games = 1 hour total)
  • Pitch 1 is the top of the ladder, pitch 3 is bottom
  • If you win your game, you move up the ladder, lose and you drop down. Win on pitch 1 and stay at the top of the ladder, lose on pitch 3, stay bottom!
  • Win the final game of the 6 on the top pitch, and you win that week’s tournament!
  • All 6 teams will get points from 6-1 depending on where they end the night (winners get 6 points, losers of the last game on the bottom pitch get 1)
  • In the event of drawn games, the team that scores first is declared the winner. We have plans for deciding winners of games that finish 0-0…
  • Teams who lost their previous game will kick off, giving them that very slight advantage
  • To increase the pace and intensity of the shorter game, the time for each team to get their shot off is reduced to 5 seconds from first touch. If you fail to do that, the ball is returned to your opposition.
  • All other rules remain as per the standard Longies rules
  • We will play until the lockdown allows full contact football again, then the team with the most points will be the LONGIES LADDER LEAGUE WINNERS!

The league will start next week as long as we have 6 teams ready to go. Get in touch to reserve your place.

by Mike Birchall

ALL YOUR LOCKDOWN LONGIES OPTIONS!

Right, we’ve successfully trialed a full Sunday evening of socially responsible lockdown Longies, and have come up with a full programme of nights and options for the foreseeable future. Some of this may still be subject to change, but for the time being here is what we have to offer.

LEAGUES

For the time being, the only 3-a-side Longies Leagues we will be running will be on a Sunday, starting this weekend (14th June). We are offering up leagues at three separate times of the evening:

League One: 40 minute games at 4.30pm and 5.15pm

League Two: 40 minute games at 6pm and 6.45pm

League Three: 40 minute games at 7.30pm and 8.15pm

CASUAL BOOKINGS / FRIENDLIES

Casual bookings are classed as groups of 6 making a booking and taking a slot on a pitch and having a game between themselves.

Friendlies are groups of three contacting us and asking us to match them up with a game against another group of three.

All bookings come with a referee who will help to ensure social distancing is maintained, as well as ensuring the rules of the game are enforced as normal! The times these bookings can be made are as follows:

Monday: 8pm and 8.45pm

Tuesday: 8pm and 8.45pm

Wednesday: 9pm

Sunday: Whatever time slots are available between league games (we will try and keep some slots free at most of the available times)

PLAYING RULES

LONGIES PLAYING RULES
Click the link to be directed to the Playing Rules page

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

LONGIES REGULATIONS
Click the link to be directed to the Regulations page

If you want to book in for any of the above, head to the homepage and complete a ‘Join A League’ form, call or text 07809252658, email [email protected], or get in touch via any of our social media pages.

by Mike Birchall

LONGIES PLAYING RULES

We’re ready for a return (of sorts…)!

Much as we’d love to burst straight back into regular Ballers action, it’s extremely unlikely that we will be able to return in full anytime soon as social distancing measures quite rightly remain in place. But with the government now confirming that up to 6 people can engage in sporting activity as long as social distancing is observed, we have an opportunity to get the lads back out on the pitch. Here’s our plan, now with updated and confirmed rules following our first trial game…

Essentially it’s 3-a-side, socially distant longies!

Basic rules:

3-a-side

Each team remains in their own half and is responsible for maintaining the required social distance between themselves.

One team kicks off from anywhere within the blue goal area, and the restart after a goal is also from the blue goal area.

You have three touches to get the ball into the opposition half, preferably via a shot at goal, and a 7 second limit to get your shot away from the time of the first touch.

No goalkeepers, and no players can go in the blue areas by the goal to block a shot (see pitch layout below). If a player blocks a shot in this area a goal is given, regardless of whether the shot is on target. The same rules apply if you block a shot with your hand. You can go in the blue area when the ball is in your half of the pitch.

To maintain social distancing rules, only one player can defend on the edge of your own area within the width of the goal (you can’t line up all three players in a line blocking the goal!). All other players must be at least 2m away

No player can go into the area 1m either side of the halfway line

If the ball goes out of play behind the goal the play restarts with a kick in from within the blue area – this counts as the first touch of this ‘play’

If the ball goes out of play at the side of the pitch, a kick in is taken from the place where the ball went out – this counts as the first touch of this ‘play’

If you block a shot and the ball goes out of play, the block counts as the first touch of the three you have to get the ball back into the opposition half, the kick in would be the second, making the third touch the one that would have to be your shot at goal. The 7 second count to get your shot away would stop when the ball is out of play, and restart when the kick in is taken.

The below ruling has been replaced by the following rule (we’re leaving it in there so you can see what we have changed!):

Each team has 15 ‘plays’ per half, so 30 attempts to score across the whole game (this number will be reviewed before we start in full, as we want to ensure that everyone gets a reasonable amount of playing time, but the games will have to be shorter to hopefully fit more in!)

Each half will be 19 minutes long (in a fast paced game each team could have as many as 50 shots on goal in this time), and each team will have the same number of plays per half, meaning if you kick off a half you will face the final shot of the half. You have 7 seconds from the time of your first touch to get your shot away. That time clock stops if the ball goes out of play (ie, if you block a shot and it goes out for a kick in). We will run a multi-ball system, so teams will be expected to get the ball back in play as quickly as possible to avoid any time wasting. If you take too long the referee reserves the right to give the ball back to your opposition.

If you fail to get the ball back into the opposition half within the three touches or the 7 seconds, the opposition restart the game from their blue area.

For a very brief example of how games are going to work, check out the below video!

by Mike Birchall

BALLERS PROJECT RESTART – UPDATE

Afternoon current / former / future Ballers, we hope you’re all still well and plodding along. When we went into lockdown scarves and wooly hats were still part of the Ballers nightly uniform! Here’s a quick update on what our restart plans currently are…

It remains unlikely we’ll be given the go ahead to start up full contact football for a while, but as soon as government guidelines allow we will be going ahead with our previously proposed Longies League which allows for us to manage social distancing (https://skballers.com/2020/05/06/ballers-longies-league/ for details).

We’ll keep a close eye on what Boris has to say in the coming weeks, and will look to get something started within 7 days of any change that allows us to. This effectively means that if the lockdown is eased this Sunday, 31st May, we could be getting started on Sunday 7th June, which is just over a week away! We will start initially with Sunday, and will be happy to run leagues at pretty much any time of the day. We hope everyone understands that half the number of players at any one time means we will only be making half the money, so we won’t be able to justify coming entirely off furlough full time just yet, but we obviously want to give people the opportunity to start kicking a ball around again in a semi-competitive manner. So in an ideal world as many teams as possible will find a suitable time on a Sunday to play. We will look to roll out alternative nights once we’ve got Sunday started, based on demand.

What we need you to do now is have a chat with your lads (or in the case of any potential new teams, round up some lads!) and let me know your thoughts. I could do with answers off all potential teams on the 4 following questions:

  1. Are your lads up for it, or would they rather wait until we are back up and running fully?
  2. How many lads are up for it, and therefore how many teams you will be wanting me to find space for (if there’s 6 or 7 of you, that will presumably be two teams!)?
  3. Can your lads do Sunday, and if so what would be your preferred time of day? We would entertain running leagues in the early afternoon (2pm-4pm), early evening (4pm-6pm) and later evening (6pm-8pm), so please let us know of any times you definitely couldn’t do. These times are just examples…
  4. If Sunday is a no go, what other nights between Monday and Wednesday could you do?

Please understand that this is effectively going to be like starting up a brand new business, and we don’t know how long we will have to do this for. There will also undoubtedly be teething problems, so a bit of patience would be appreciated.

Please help to make things as simple as possible for us!

by Mike Birchall

We have a plan…

We’ve had 7 weeks to come up with something that can get people kicking a ball around again, and we think we may be getting closer to being able to do something.

We’re not suggesting for one second that we’ll be able to get fully competitive football back on the go for a good while yet, and we certainly don’t want to play any part in putting anyone at risk, but if we can find a way to get lads back on the pitch and kicking a ball round sooner rather than later, why shouldn’t we do it?

We don’t want to give too much away about our plans as we don’t want anyone nicking them, but if you want to know what we’re up to, you only have to ask!

Get in touch on 07809252658, email [email protected], fill in a ‘Join A League’ form from the homepage, or message us on any of our social media pages.

by Mike Birchall

NEW LEAGUES – STARTING SOON!

As we head into March with the lighter nights on the way and the recent spate of storms hopefully out of the way, we have some new leagues starting soon that may suit the fair weather footballers out there!

REDDISH SUNDAY LEAGUE

The biggest Ballers league night will be starting up it’s latest new season as spring kicks in, with new campaign starting on 29th March.

Spaces are already at a premium, but we’re always happy to try and accommodate more teams.

Games are 50 minutes long, priced at £5 per player per game, with matches kicking off between 5.30pm and 8.30pm. We try our best to accommodate teams requests to avoid certain kick off times, so if you would struggle for the earlier or later games, just let us know when you sign up.

WOODLEY THURSDAY LEAGUE

A few days later the Woodley Thursday league will be getting underway. The first league night of the new season will be on 2nd April, and we currently have spaces for up to 4 new teams.

League games kick off at 7pm, 7.40pm or 8.20pm, and are priced at £30 per team, per game. Again, we will try and accommodate any requests for kick off times.

CURRENT LEAGUE VACANCIES

If Sunday and Thursday don’t do it for you, here’s what spaces we have on the other nights for an immediate start

REDDISH MONDAY LEAGUE – ONE SPACE

REDDISH TUESDAY LEAGUE – TWO SPACES

WEDNESDAY REDDISH LEAGUE – ONE SPACE

WOODLEY WEDNESDAY LEAGUE – TWO SPACES

FOR MORE DETAILS, TO REGISTER YOUR TEAM, OR TO BOOK IN A ONE OFF TRIAL GAME – GET IN TOUCH!