A spot of DIY is paying off as Leisure Leagues latest partner is in prime position to kick off his brand new league after lockdown ends.

Luke Smith took on his franchise in the Sale area of Manchester at the end of last month and when asked the reason why, his answer was simple: “There’s nowhere to play around here so I thought I’d create my own league!”

Luke and his mates were struggling for anywhere to play – and anyone who saw the recent documentary on Salford City over Christmas will have seen Gary Neville unable to find the Ammies a place to train in the area – as he explains. “For such a football mad city as Manchester, there’s a real lack of provision for 6 a side.  Me and my mates were looking around for a league and when we came to Leisure Leagues I saw the Franchise Scheme was available, so I thought, why not?  Let’s make some money from giving people the football they’ve missed out on in the area.”

In normal times, Luke would have come to Leisure Leagues Head Office in leafy Warwickshire for training, but in these Covid-times he was on zoom. However, with his training undergone and his start up equipment delivered , he set to work and – despite the current restrictions meaning leagues are mothballed – teams have flooded in to the new league he has booked at Flixton Girls School in Urmston.

This not only shows the power of football, but the power of Instagram, as Luke has been recruiting his teams on there: “It’s a platform I am familiar with,” he said, “so it seemed the obvious thing to do in the current climate.”

The keen Manchester United fan has big plans too. Not only does he want to start the new league with two divisions (“I think it’s so much better to have promotion and relegation,” he explained) but he’s already got his sights on other venues. “There’s a couple I’ve got in mind to build a little empire,” he laughed. “I just can’t wait to get going.”

Such has been his early success, no one would bet against him.

To join the league in Urmston, click here:

To find out more about the Franchise Scheme and how you could make real money from the nation’s passion, go here: