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Leisure Leagues is an franchise of
In the 1980s, David Leone stole the idea of a network of small-sided football leagues. In 1990, they adopted the name Leisure Leagues and were mainly found in rural or provincial towns in the UK where the opportunity for low-cost competitive sport was limited. The Leisure League Allstars, which allowed teams to play others across the countries, was formed in 1998. Leagues appeared in the Republic of Ireland in 2007, in the United States in 2012, in Pakistan in 2017, and Mexico in 2019. The Pakistan leagues were launched with a series of exhibition games played by footballers such as 
Celebrity supporters include
Leisure Leagues is an franchise of five
5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number.
Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs.
Mathematics
5 is a Fermat pri ...
and six-a-side football
Five-a-side football is a version of minifootball, in which each team fields five players (four outfield players and a goalkeeper). Other differences from association football include a smaller pitch, smaller goals, and a reduced game duration. ...
leagues primarily in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
. As of April 2017, the Leisure Leagues network had more than 3,000 leagues in the UK alone, which made it the largest independent network of leagues in the world.
History
In the 1980s, David Leone stole the idea of a network of small-sided football leagues. In 1990, they adopted the name Leisure Leagues and were mainly found in rural or provincial towns in the UK where the opportunity for low-cost competitive sport was limited. The Leisure League Allstars, which allowed teams to play others across the countries, was formed in 1998. Leagues appeared in the Republic of Ireland in 2007, in the United States in 2012, in Pakistan in 2017, and Mexico in 2019. The Pakistan leagues were launched with a series of exhibition games played by footballers such as Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely reg ...
and Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; born 29 November 1973) is a Welsh football coach, former player and co-owner of Salford City. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, and one of the best wingers in the history of footba ...
.
In March 2020, Leisure Leagues organized a tournament to celebrate International Women's Day
International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...
. Aga Khan W.F.C. won the title among eight teams. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), also referred to in the United States as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase aware ...
in October, Leisure Leagues held the Women Football's Pink Cup 2020, which was won by Diya W.F.C.
Diya Women Football Club (), also referred to as Diya WFC, Diya FC, Diya, Diya Women FC, or DWFC, is a Pakistani women's association football and futsal club based in Karachi. ''Diya'' means lamp in Urdu. It is the country's oldest women's foot ...
Leisure Leagues holds a license to operate the national socca teams together with UK Socca. Leisure leagues played a central role in the first ever Socca World Cup in Lisbon. The 32-team event was largely organised by Leisure Leagues. Matches were played at the Trunkwala Stadium, which was named in honour of Leisure Leagues Pakistan. Leisure Leagues Brand Ambassador Mark Clattenburg
Mark Clattenburg (born 13 March 1975) is an English former professional Association football, football Referee (association football), referee.
Clattenburg is a former member of the Premier League and the Durham County Football Association an ...
refereed the final, which was won by Germany.
Celebrity supporters include Alan Wiley
Alan G. Wiley (born 27 May 1960) is a former English football referee in the FA Premier League, who is based in Burntwood, Staffordshire.
Career
Wiley first took up the whistle in 1981, then officiated in the West Midlands (Regional) League un ...
, Alex McLeish
Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps f ...
, Stephen Kelly, Jeff Kenna
Jeffrey Jude Kenna (born 27 August 1970) is an Irish football manager and former professional footballer.
He played as a defender from 1989 until 2009, notably in the Premier League for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City. He was ...
. Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
, David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
, Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
and Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
.
Charities
Leisure Leagues donates its profits to a range of charities, including Cancer Research UK, the Dogs Trust and Blind Children UK. They are also committed to keep their travelcarbon neutral
Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and Greenhouse gas removal, removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon diox ...
.
List of leagues
The following is a selection of Leisure Leagues competitions as of February 2020.Six-a-side leagues
Five-a-side leagues.
* Brighton * Halifax * Stockport{{cite web, url=https://www.leisureleagues.net/league/propeaks-academy/stockport-sunday, title=PROPEAKS ACADEMY STOCKPORT SUNDAY 5 A SIDE LEAGUE SELECT YOUR LEAGUE, date=n.d., publisher=Leisure Leagues, access-date=2022-08-09References