Bring Back Masters Football

 Hi everyone, please enjoy this preview chapter of my upcoming book Remember The Name: Magic, Madness and Metatarsals, A Celebration of 2000s Football. The book will (hopefully) be out on Monday December 2nd and will be available on Amazon. 

Bring Back Masters Football

For some, the sound of Nick Berry crooning his way through the theme tune to Heartbeat was the signal that the weekend was over, for others it was Jeremy Clarkson dropping another bombshell at the end of Top Gear. For football fans in the 2000s however, it was the sight of ex-players donning their best Adidas Samba trainers and rolling back the years in the phenomenon that was Masters Football. 

Starting in 2000 and lasting until 2011, Masters Football was a six-a-side competition played at some of the UK’s biggest arenas which saw over-35s compete in a set of regional heats before a winner-takes-all finals night to decide the destiny of the championship. 

It was a wonderful sight as the likes of Phil Neal, Nigel Winterburn and Neville Southall turned out once again for Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton respectively and rekindled old rivalries with some Masters clashes having similar intensity to classic Merseyside or North London derbies of the past. It wasn’t uncommon to see some bona fide legends take to the famous blue carpet with Ally McCoist regularly finding the net for Rangers, Chris Waddle ending his penalty hoodoo by finally converting from the spot for Sheffield Wednesday and even Roy Keane pulling on the red shirt of Manchester United one final time. 

There was a bittersweet beauty in the shape of some of the more obscure players finally getting their moment in the sun for their chosen clubs as well, John Durnin might not be able to regale Liverpool fans with many tales of playing in front of The Kop but he can always cherish his two Golden Boot awards from Masters Football while Ian Selley can always say he scored for Arsenal in a heated North London derby against Tottenham, albeit on the Masters circuit. 

It wasn't just a case of old boys rattling round like the dad’s team at your local Leisure League or Goals centre either, just go on YouTube and search for some of the goals compilation videos, there are some genuinely stunning goals on show. 

Sadly, in 2011 in the wake of declining attendance figures and viewing numbers the plug was pulled on Masters Football and while there have been a few attempts to recapture the Masters magic (such as Star Sixes) and the growing number of clubs staging ‘legends’ matches during international breaks, somehow it’s not quite the same as seeing David Lee of Bolton beat two Oldham defenders and thump a shot past a despairing Jon Hallworth at the MEN Arena in Manchester. 

Come on Sky, think about it. Frank Lampard scoring for Chelsea one more time, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville jumping out of the commentary box to square up on the blue carpet. I’m sure Shola Ameobi is free to play for Newcastle as well. Surely it’s time to bring back Masters Football! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this preview of Remember The Name: Magic, Madness and Metatarsals, A Celebration of 2000s Football. Please follow me on Twitter/X @DanBarkerGray to stay updated about the project.