The Hartsdown Academy in Margate made the news this week when the back to school run didn’t go as smoothly as planned.

You may have seen this on Good Morning Britain, read in national newspapers, heard it on the radio or seen on social media, that kids from the school were turned away on the first day of term by the new Head Teacher who was looking to clamp down on uniform regulations.

Twenty children were turned away on Tuesday, with more on other days this week, as the row escalated into parents and teachers rowing in the street.

Why, you may ask, are we writing about this on the Leisure Leagues website?

Well, it just so happens that Hartsdown Academy is not only the epicentre of a moral debate about the future of a generation and their educational attire, but it is also the venue for two of our leagues.

Now, we also like our teams to wear uniform, ties and blazers are not required, but we do insist that all the players are in the same colour. Not that we’ll turn you away from the league for being in something different mind you, instead our Match Night Supervisor will give you a brightly coloured bib, because we are nice like that.

That said at Leisure Leagues we believe that a league is better if it looks like a competition than a kick about, and just like Hartsdown, we have standards to uphold.

Unlike during in school time, however, you will be allowed to wear Nike Air Max Trainers if you play in the leagues in Margate – and it doesn’t matter what colour your boots are. Mind you, football boots should always be black –  that is a different debate for different day, though.