How to keep your weekly five-a-side going

Starting a weekly game is easy. A few mates, a pitch, a WhatsApp group. Keeping it going for years is harder. Numbers drip away, the same lot win every week, the organiser goes on holiday and suddenly there's no game.

Here's what keeps a weekly five-a-side alive.

Why weekly games fold

They rarely end with a row. They fade. The usual reasons:

• The organiser burns out. One person does everything, then moves house, has a baby or just gets fed up chasing replies.
• Numbers drip away. People drift off and nobody new comes in. Eight becomes the new ten.
• The games stop being fun. Same teams, same winners, same 12–4.
• Money gets awkward. Somebody's always "sorting it next week".

Each of these can be fixed, and most of the fixes are small.

Regulars and reserves

The heart of any weekly game is a group of regulars who turn up most weeks. Look after them.

• Keep a pool of 12 to 16. Enough to cover drop-outs, not so many that regulars miss out every week.
• Agree how places are decided when too many say they're in. First to reply? Regulars first? Whoever missed out last week? Any rule works if everyone knows it.
• Make reserves feel wanted. Tell them they're first reserve, not "not playing".

On 5asider, the game page shows who's in, who's out and who hasn't replied. When more than ten say they're in, you select the ten who are playing and everyone else who's in shows as also available. If someone drops out, you can see who's next.

Every squad has a few people who say they're in and then aren't. 5asider's reliability page shows who drops out after saying they're in, and who does it close to kick-off. It's a rough guide, not a naughty list: sometimes people drop out to let someone else play.

Bring in new players

Every squad loses players. Jobs change, knees go, people move away. If nobody new comes in, the game slowly shrinks.

• Ask your regulars to bring a mate. It's still the best way to find players.
• Make it easy to find you. On 5asider you can list your squad as looking for players. It then shows on the find a squad page, where players can find you and ask to join. You decide who comes in.
• Add players without the fuss. You can add someone by name and invite them by email, or paste a whole list of names and addresses at once.
• Be kind to newcomers. Put them on a team with a couple of friendly faces, and don't make them go in goal every week.

When someone stops coming, move them to past players rather than deleting them. They stop getting game emails, their results stay in the tables, and you can make them active again if they come back.

When the organiser is away

The quickest way to lose a weekly game is for one person to hold everything. If they're ill or on holiday, the game stops, and sometimes it doesn't restart.

• Have a co-organiser. Someone who knows the booking, the players and the money.
• Write down how it works: the pitch booking reference, the price and how people pay.
• Share the job properly. On 5asider you can make other players managers. Any manager can add games, pick teams, record scores and approve new players. If you're away for a fortnight, someone else can keep it going.

You can also add games ahead of time. Each new game emails the squad, so players can reply early.

Money

Money ends more weekly games than injuries do. Keep it simple and keep it fair.

• Collect up front. Paying for a block of weeks beats chasing everyone every Tuesday.
• Use one way to pay, like a bank transfer to the organiser or a payment link.
• Keep the pitch fee and the drop-out rule clear. If late drop-outs pay, say so before it happens.

5asider doesn't handle money, so you'll need a way of your own. Putting the cost and how to pay in your squad description means new players know what to expect.

Seasons and bragging rights

People come back for the game, but also for the story: who's top, who's on a run, who hasn't won since March.

5asider keeps that story for you. Add the score after each game and the tables work themselves out:

• Season tables. Games are grouped into seasons of 12, and a new season starts when one finishes. Everyone gets a fresh start.
• Form table, over recent games, for whoever's on a hot streak.
• All-time table, for the long-term bragging rights. Every result is kept, season after season.
• Player pages with each player's record, a strip of their recent results and their win rate.

Some squads add their own traditions: a trophy for the season winner, a pint for whoever finishes top, or a "player of the season" vote at the Christmas game. The table settles the arguments; the traditions are up to you.

Keep the games close

Nothing drains a squad like one-sided games. If the same lot win every week, the others stop replying. Fair teams are one of the best things you can do for a weekly game. Our guide on how to pick fair five-a-side teams explains the options, and how 5asider's auto-pick balances the teams using the squad's own results.

Quiet weeks

Christmas, the summer holidays and bank holidays will thin out any squad. Plan for them:

• Call it early if you won't get ten. On 5asider, cancelling a game emails the players who'd said they were in.
• Don't skip too many weeks in a row. The habit is what keeps a weekly game going.

New to running a game? Start with how to organise a weekly five-a-side.

Questions people ask

How do I stop my five-a-side from falling apart?

Share the organising, keep a pool of 12 to 16 regulars, bring in new players steadily and keep the teams fair. Most games fold because one person does everything.

How do I find new players for my five-a-side?

Ask your regulars to bring mates, and list your squad on 5asider as looking for players so people nearby can find you and ask to join.

Can someone else run the game when I'm away?

Yes. On 5asider you can make other players managers. Any manager can add games, pick teams, record scores and let new players in.

What happens to a player's results if they stop coming?

Move them to past players. They stop getting game emails, but their results stay in the tables. You can make them active again any time.

Does 5asider give out end-of-season awards?

No. It keeps season, form and all-time tables, so you can see who finished top. Trophies and awards are up to you.