What's the highest level of football you have played?

[Oldgregg86]

Played in a five a side team that had Phil Howard ( played in our youth set up if anyone remembers him, there was a profile on him in the programme the game we battered arsenal in the quarterfinals of the cup) and the Wigan warrior player joe burgess. I didn’t even know he played rugby until he made his debut. Never played higher than Sunday league and lost the love after getting kicked to high heaven and threatened/fighting every weekend. Preferred to play five aside with mates so I wasn’t hobbling around at work all week.

[davulsukur]

I was found in my local one Friday night and asked to sit on the bench as a sub the next day for my village team.

Went down, ended up playing more than I would have liked after a few beers the night before.

I didn't play any football as a kid, started having a kick about (Wembley doubles etc.) With mates at the local park from about 13 and then played 6 aside from about 18, 11 aside a couple of years later.

I stopped playing 11 aside when I hit 30 but still play 5/6 aside now. I recently turned 37 but I'd like to keep playing for as long as I can do.

Never played to any decent standard (just local league level) but I'm glad I did, made mates who I still see now and Saturdays were always something to look forward too.

[simongarnerisgod]

did anyone escape unscathed from sunday league football??it was`nt about a kickabout for 90 minutes,more a look how hard i am

[philipl]

Totally useless.

One primary schoolboy game at Sett End- we lost 14-0. Bryan Douglas' son played for the opposition and the highlight of my career was the great man calling good tackle when I fluked a block. Myles Andersonesque me..

One appearance for Shell 7th XI and a few trundles around for the Rovers London Branch.

0 goals 

Oh I forget, I did score past the QEGS first XI keeper and hit the post on a geography field trip match on the proper pitches at Beaumaris which the staff were taking far too seriously.

[Claytons Left Boot]

Played for our Darwen junior school with Arbitro and Exiled in Toronto. Played for the first year at SMC going on to beat Witton Park in the Blackburn Schools final on Ewood. Was a left winger but didn’t really have any pace to talk about. I was always keen on Cross Country whilst at school and, later on, fell running. I could never really decide on either running or football and despite a few seasons in the Darwen League, my football finished when I dislocated and broke my right ankle. Thereafter it was fell running, cycling and swimming.

[Stonesrick]

Played in the usual QEGS Under 12's - 15's and 2nd Eleven in the late 60's early 70's at Lammack on the soggy waterlogged, sandy pitches. Always thought I was a slow coach until I realised  it was like running in treacle on those pitches ?.

Got myself pretty fit in my late 20's early 30's and played in the Blackpool & Fylde Premier League for the Royal Hotel, which became the Boston Hotel with a few ex-pros, 2 of whom stick out.

Kevin Moore who started off at Blackpool but made his name at Newport County, playing in the European Cup Winners Cup with John Aldridge, who of course went on to star for Liverpool. Kevin had a trick that was a cross between a Mike Newell shimmie and a Cruyff turn. No one could suss out which way he was going to turn. 

Also Neil Davids, who started at Leeds but played the majority of his career at Wigan Athletic. I once asked him who was his toughest opponent and he said, Mick Harford. He said that after playing against him he was battered, nutted, elbowed and black and blue and realised he wasnt going to progress any further than the lower Divisions. Interestingly, Mick Harford has been in the news this week about his concerns over dementia with the amount of heading he did. Sadly, Neil passed away about 10 years ago.

3 things that stick out in my mind after playing with ex-pros.

1. They hardly ever go to ground, they stay on their feet.

2. It's hard work trying to get the ball off them and they rarely give it away.

3. They think at least a second or more before any of us mere mortals do and appear to be strolling through games.

Well, we can only dream I suppose. ?

[AspRover]

Secondary school C team when they had an injury crisis. Centre half. The first XI took me along to an inter-schools tournament - I came third in the chess tournament that was happening on the same day, I think I was some kind of mascot.

[Gone to seed]

17 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

did anyone escape unscathed from sunday league football??it was`nt about a kickabout for 90 minutes,more a look how hard i am

To be fair, some of the teams turning out on Sunday mornings at Pleasington featured some very decent footballers - the types who could manage two hard games in a weekend, having hammered through a Combination game on the Saturday afternoon... There were some awful cloggers too though, and the pitches at Pleasington didn't always help - I remember a horrible incident on the pitch nearest the cemetery gates a few years back, where a plodding centre half planted his leg in a deep divot / mole hole and practically tore it off (really bad compound fracture). Had to abandon that game, as no-one had the stomach to carry on. The only worse games for injuries were the Orphanage Cup, in the middle of the year when pitches could be bone dry and you got all the old stagers turning out for the first time in 20 years for their firm's teams.. pulled hamstrings, knee ligaments gone, dislocated shoulders, ankle sprains and some very very ugly beer guts (not injuries technically, but still awful to comprehend).

[simongarnerisgod]

4 minutes ago, WIR Second Coming said:

To be fair, some of the teams turning out on Sunday mornings at Pleasington featured some very decent footballers - the types who could manage two hard games in a weekend, having hammered through a Combination game on the Saturday afternoon... There were some awful cloggers too though, and the pitches at Pleasington didn't always help - I remember a horrible incident on the pitch nearest the cemetery gates a few years back, where a plodding centre half planted his leg in a deep divot / mole hole and practically tore it off (really bad compound fracture). Had to abandon that game, as no-one had the stomach to carry on. The only worse games for injuries were the Orphanage Cup, in the middle of the year when pitches could be bone dry and you got all the old stagers turning out for the first time in 20 years for their firm's teams.. pulled hamstrings, knee ligaments gone, dislocated shoulders, ankle sprains and some very very ugly beer guts (not injuries technically, but still awful to comprehend).

"some very ugly beer guts?" a can of skol was the half time refreshment in our side and those pitches at astley park in chorley were truly terrible,you had to arrive an hour early to clear away the dog **** and check for needles,the only positive was at least the council mowed them from time to time