THE NORTHERN GATEWAY - 6 A SIDE FOOTBALL COLCHESTER - BRAND NEW 3G ARTIFICIAL PLAYING SURFACE - EXCLUSIVE TO LEISURE LEAGUES 5 & 6 A SIDE FOOTBALL LEAGUES

Welcome to the brand new Northern Gateway Sports Park. We are pleased to announce that Leisure Leagues Colchester have been given exclusive access to run their 6 a side Colchester leagues on the brand new 3G artificial football pitch. 

IMPRESSIVE 18 ACRE SITE
The 18 Acre site is located on the northern fringe of Colchester at junction 28 of the A12 and adjoining the Weston Homes Community Stadium, home to Colchester United Football Club, with easy access off Boxted Road and Urbis Romanae. Ideal for teams from Highwoods, Mile End, Braiswick & surrounding villages such as; Horkesley Heath, Boxted Cross, Deadham, Ardleigh, Manning Tree, West Bergholt & East Bergholt. The Northern Gateway Sports Complex has plentiful car parking, changing rooms, showers & access to the Rugby Clubs Sports Bar!  - Expected completion date is now Easter 2021 (delay due to Coronavirus Pandemic). The Northern Gateway Sports Park also boasts the following activities/amenities: 
 Five Court Sports Hall
Indoor Cricket
Fitness Suite
Exercise Studio
Spin Studio
1-mile Floodlit Cycling Track
Meeting Rooms
2x 3G Pitches (Football Pitch Exclusive to Leisure Leagues)
Archery
Accessible Cycling Routes
Learn to Ride and Cyclo-cross
The Northern Gateway Sports Complex will be perfect for individuals, groups and schools looking to get fit and healthy, along with creating new jobs and volunteering opportunities with recruitment starting in 2020. Leisure Leagues 6 a side football Colchester is proud to  partner with Leisure World @ Northern Gateway Sports Park. For more venue details please visit The Northern Gateway Sports Park website.
OUR LEAGUES

We will be running our 6 a side football Colchester leagues on the following evenings: 

Wednesday 1900 - 2200 (All ages)

Wednesday 1900 - 2200 (Veterans League)

Thursday     1900 - 2200 (All Ages)

We are also proud to run the only 6 a side Colchester Veterans league! For a limited time only you can sign your team up for FREE today!

PLAYING SURFACE
Our games will be played on the prestigious, spacious 3G artificial football pitch, with no dangerous kickboards or, overhead height rules (Our rules are very similar to 11 a side rules). All standards and abilities are welcome from all walks of life: Office Workers, Builders, Police officers, Military Personnel & Students are all welcome at our leagues. Our FA qualified Refs will look after your match and our Event Manager is always on hand to ensure you receive the best match night experience. 

6 A SIDE FOOTBALL COLCHESTER RULES
No slide tackles
Ball is kicked into the field of play (no throw-ins)
Keeper throws the ball out (under or over arm). No Drop kicks, however Goal keeper can play with his feet to clear shots and pass the ball to his players.
Back pass rule is relaxed; however, the Referee may penalise a team for wasting time.
Players are permitted to enter the goal keepers area.
Goal keepers cannot handle the ball outside of his/her goal area.
All free kicks are indirect (Opposition player must be at least 3 meters).
NO DIRECT ABUSE TOWARDS THE REFEREE IS PEMITTED - Players will be issued a red card and removed from the field of play.
FACEBOOK PAGE & GROUP PAGE
We welcome all new players and teams to join our Facebook page and league group pages, as this is where we disseminate all the important venue & league information:
Leisure Leagues Colchester & Tiptree Facebook Page
Leisure Leagues Colchester & Tiptree Group Page
We do offer incentives such as a FREE game for the team who shares the most of our promotional posts to their personal pages, as this helps us to recruit additional teams to our leagues. Should you refer a team to our league we will also credit you a FREE game.

6 A SIDE FOOTBALL TEAM NAMES
When you sign your team up to one of our leagues you are free to choose any team name, however it must not be offensive in nature, or include foul language (swear words) of any kind. If your team name breaches this policy you will be advised to change the name prior to officially joining the league.  If you are struggling to come up with a team name, a good place to visit is The Ultimate Guide to 5-a-side Team Names

6 A SIDE FOOTBALL KITS
On initial sign up to one of our leagues your team will be offered a 6 a side football kit to purchase at a reduced rate. Our quality 6 a side kits are extremely durable and will withstand harsh weather conditions as well as abuse from players, such as pulling or ripping, and general wear and tear. These are kits that will never let you down, not in appearance or performance. We provide many kit options and sizes with a variety of colour schemes and styles available - Your area Manager will discuss this with you in detail in your welcome telephone call.

WHAT MAKES US STAND OUT FROM THE REST?
We have assigned area managers available 24/7 to answer all your questions or queries. Unlike other providers, our teams actually turn up every week! We do not tolerate disruptive teams, they are simply removed from our football leagues. 

WHEN WILL 6 A SIDE FOOTBALL RETURN? 
The lockdown will continue until 29 March, however we are confident that outside sports will be one of he 1st activities to re-open. 6 a side football Colchester will return, you can be sure of that!
The re-opening of our leagues will be the perfect boost to our Colchester & Tiptree community players. Ready to get Colchester fit, ready to let you get your football fix, and ready to keep leading the way. Another month of inactivity is far too long, we know, but don't worry, we are going to help you shed the pounds and improve your mental health with some of the camaraderie that only 6 a side football Colchester can give - just like we did after the 1st lockdown!


6 A SIDE FOOTBALL TACTICS
Not having a structure or enough organisation in a game of 6 a side is going to immediately effect your team's chances of being successful in our leagues. Whilst our best Colchester 6 a side football teams don't apply a formation too rigidly, not having any formation at all is just going to make it harder for your team to settle in the league, instead of being the contenders you should be.
Much of 6 a side football is reliant on the skill of your players, but a good proportion of your success is going to come from experience and good organisation. Our leagues have a mixture of all ages, gender and abilities. 
The 2-2-1 formation is a good starting point to consider for 6 a side. It's exactly half of the more common 4-4-2 formation that you see in 11 a side football, and offers a similar balance. For more information regarding 6 a side tactics please visit 5-a-side.com

6 A SIDE FOOTBALL & COVID-19

Leisure Leagues Colchester & Tiptree have taken the appropriate steps to ensure that our leagues are Covid-19 safe, with a string of new measures including; 

Asking teams to pay for their games online in advance (No handling of cash)
Not allowing teams within a metre of the referee.
No shaking of hands
No bibs to be worn
Avoiding car sharing
Washing hands before and after fixture
PRIZE DRAW

Every team that wins a division, finishes runner up, every player that wins a Most Valuable Player award and every team that finishes bottom of their division will now have the opportunity to win amazing prizes! 
A live draw on Facebook will take place every month, which will give all teams and players an opportunity to bag the best awards on offer in small sided football, ranging from £500 in Nike Vouchers or 400 cans of Carling to the star prize of a £12000 holiday to Germany for six! 
At the end of each season your league manager will contact all the winners and runners up and you will will now have the choice of taking the superb existing prize package  -which includes the Leisure Leagues bespoke trophies and medals for the squad and a host of other things to share amongst the team, or entering into the prize draw for a chance to get something really, really special.
Runners-up, wooden spoon and player of the season will go into their own respective draws with the chance to win various other prizes. The draw will be broadcast live on our Facebook page, so like the page and don't miss out! 
WHY ARE WE THE BEST?
We may not be the biggest in Colchester (yet) however we are the best and biggest 5 & 6 a side football league provider in the UK! You will become a part of an immense network and community of  players with over 184,000 Leisure Leagues games played per year, so what are you waiting for.....Sign your team up for FREE today!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. How long is a 6 a side football match? A. Our games consist of 2 x 15 minutes halves.
Q. How big is a 6 a side football pitch? A. Our Colchester pitches are equally split into 4 x 6 a side football pitches. WE DO NOT USES DANGEROUS CAGES.
Q. Do you allow Female and mixed teams? A. Yes, absolutely! Ladies teams and mixed teams are always welcome in our Colchester leagues.
Q. If we haven't got our full match fee, can we still play and play the following week? A. NO. The Referee will not start your match, unless you pay the full match fee.
Q. What if I have a complaint about my league. A. We take complaints very seriously. Any player can write to the Chief Executive Officer at the address on your league's contact page.
Q. What if a match is cancelled by you? A. If you do not have a game when you are scheduled to on your fixtures then your Area manager will always call you and explain the situation.

For further questions and answers please visit: Leisure Leagues FAQ's

CONTACT US

You can contact our 6 a side Colchester Area Manager Kevin Collins below:
Email: [email protected] 
Telephone: 07872 958632