How to get into professional football?

Fast Answers

Why get into football?

Simple yet endlessly exciting and dramatic, it's the most popular sport in the world for a very good reason!

Who is it for?

Whatever your age, ability or fitness level, there is a type of football suitable for you.

Is there a cheap option?

All you really need to play the beautiful game is a football. Kick around on your own or with friends.

What if I want a proper workout?

Joining a weekly five or 11-a-side game increases your fitness and improves your game. Plus it's a good way to see your mates.

Can I take it to another level?

There are leagues galore and it's very competitive, with professional clubs recruiting players as young as seven.

Is there a disability option?

National Associations across Britain are increasingly pro-active in providing disability football options.

Is there a family option?

Family Fun Days run throughout the year to encourage families to take part in football-related activities.

So how do I take part?

Go to our club finder page to get into football near you.

The beautiful game. The national game. The world game.

Football is a phenomenon. Hundreds of millions of people across the globe live and breathe it, playing it with their friends and watching their heroes.

But don't be content to just watch it. Lace up your boots and get your foot on the ball to take part in perhaps the most easily accessible sport there is.

An all-round workout

Grassroots football is often where great players come from

Football gives you an all-round workout. Players run, kick, dodge, sprint and jump, and constantly twisting and turning your body increases endurance, promotes agility and develops physical co-ordination.

Football also promotes teamwork on and off the pitch, as many teams socialise together.

Women's football

FA People's Cup: Romance FC - the female five-a-side football collective

The country is in World Cup fever as the competition takes place between June and July 2019. With 1.4 million women and girls playing football, there's no doubt that it's the nation's most popular female-team participation sport.

Around the UK there are schemes designed to help girls get into football - from grassroots to the professional game - as well as routes into coaching.

Each Football Association across the country has information specifically to encourage women to play so get contacting in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.