It was great to see Leisure Leagues represented as the annual Soccer Aid charity match took place last night at Old Trafford.

David James – who took part in the inaugural Ronaldinho and Friends games back in 2017 and is a regular player in our network – and Mark Clattenburg, the World’s best referee and Leisure Leagues Ambassador, were both on hand as the great and good of football and entertainment got together to raise money for what they termed “Generation Covid.”

It was a different feel this year with Coronavirus restrictions meaning the teams –  the England one managed by Wayne Rooney and Sam Allardyce, and the Rest Of The World being overseen by Harry Redknapp – were not quite as cosmopolitan as they normally are. And of course, there was only an empty, eerie Old Trafford to greet the players (see picture above).

Nonetheless, The Rest of The World won 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw – Rapper Chunkz missing the all-important kick.

The real winners are the people who benefit from the money raised, and, as Leisure Leagues’ James Coe added: “It’s great, that even in these times where everything is so up in the air, that football can come together to raise such important money for good causes – and Leisure Leagues being there in a way made it all the sweeter.”

Leisure Leagues is the only small sided football provider to donate its profits to charities and good causes, with the likes of Cancer Research, The Dogs Trust and countless others benefiting over the years. James added: “We are very proud of the good we’ve done. For a firm that is so wedded to the communities that we operate in, it is the absolute right thing to do. To be able to give something back is wonderful.

To find a 6 a side league near you and help charity in the process, click here: https://www.leisureleagues.net/search

To donate to Soccer Aid, click here: https://www.socceraid.org.uk/