Your league questions, answered

Choose a league on our venues page and press Register. Registering takes about five minutes on our league hub: your team name, captain and squad, then the deposit. A league manager confirms your place, and your fixtures appear on the hub.

Yes, if there’s a space. If a team leaves, a new team can take over its remaining games and its place in the table. Choose “As soon as possible” on our contact page and we’ll let you know.

Join the waiting list. We save your card but charge nothing unless we offer you a place and you accept it.

Teams sign up for a season and play on the same night each week at the same venue. Every team plays every other team the same number of times, and kick-off times are spread fairly across the season. Each league’s page shows its night, kick-off times and how long its season runs.

Yes, season after season, with a break over Christmas and New Year and on some bank holidays. Halfway through each season we ask captains whether they’ll play the next one. Saying yes holds your place, and your deposit carries over, so there’s nothing more to pay.

Yes. Join our Players WhatsApp community and tell us the days and venue you’d like. We’ll message you when a team needs a player or a ringer. You can also choose “Join as a player” on our contact page.

Yes, and plenty do: many companies pay for their team as part of team building or staff wellbeing. Company teams can pay by invoice instead of card.

Yes. All our leagues are affiliated with the London FA, with FA trained refs at every game.

Each league has a match fee per team, per game, shown on its page, so it’s shared between your squad. There are no joining fees or hidden costs.

The deposit commits your team to the season, which keeps the league fair for everyone. It’s worth a set number of match fees and pays for that number of games at the end of your season, so it isn’t returned: it’s used up on your last games. If you’re staying on for the next season, it carries over instead and your last games are charged as normal. Your league’s deposit is shown when you register. See our deposits and forfeits page for the details.

The captain saves a card when registering, and we take each game’s fee 48 hours before kick-off. There’s no cash on the night, so the ref can focus on reffing. Company teams can pay by invoice instead.

We tell the captain and try again 24 hours later. The captain can update the card any time from My 5aside on the league hub.

Your team commits to the whole season. If it leaves early we stop taking match fees, but the deposit covers the games left empty, unless a replacement team we approve takes your place, when we refund it in full.

Fixtures, results and tables are on our league hub, and on My 5aside. Before every game, each player gets a quick message to say if they’re in, out or not sure, so the captain knows who’s playing.

Our rules are designed to maximise football time and keep it competitive but friendly. Read them on our rules and code of conduct page. On the night, the ref’s decisions are final.

Bring ringers: anyone who isn’t in your squad can play for you on the night. Their goals count for your team but don’t go on anyone’s player card. Ask us early and we’ll put it out to our players’ community, or ask players from other teams at the venue. See our short on players tips.

All fixtures are to be played. With at least 2 weeks’ notice you can ask to move a game, which is usually only possible early in the season.

Our refs log every goal, assist, sin bin and Player of the Match on the night. Tables and leaderboards update as soon as the ref confirms the score, so you can check who scored before you’ve left the pitch.

Every player gets a card with a rating out of 99, plus DEF, ATT, PAS and SHO ratings, worked out from match stats only. Cards unlock after 5 games. Players appear by first name and surname initial, cards are public by default, and you can switch yours off or add a photo from My 5aside.

Yes. Each season has a Golden Boot (most goals), Playmaker (most assists), Player of the Season, Golden Glove (best goalkeeper) and Ever-present (played every game). You can follow the award race all season, and the winners go into the 5aside.com Hall of Fame.

Your player profile keeps every game you play with us, across every league and season. You earn badges for milestones, seasons played, streaks of turning up, fair play, winning goals, equalisers and hat-tricks.

Yes. If the ref wasn’t sure who scored, your captain can tell us from the match page. For anything else, contact us and a league manager will check it. Ratings come from match stats only, so we don’t change individual ratings on request.

You win 10-0. We’ll try to get a stand-in team so you still get a game. If one plays, you pay as normal and your players’ goals and assists count. If you don’t get a game, you pay nothing for that night.

Tell your league manager as early as you can. With 48 hours’ notice or more, you pay only your own match fee. With less notice, or if you don’t turn up, you pay both teams’ fees, unless a stand-in team plays instead. Either way the other team wins 10-0. Full details are on our deposits and forfeits page.

Our pitches are all-weather, so games go ahead unless the venue is closed or the transport network is badly affected. If we call games off, your league manager tells the teams affected. Nobody pays for a game we call off, and we rearrange it.

Always assume games are on: a problem on your route won’t necessarily affect everyone else. We only call off a night’s games if travel is badly disrupted for everyone, for example a strike across the whole network. We decide on the morning of the games and tell the teams affected.

Just shin pads and the right footwear. We provide the footballs, bibs and an FA trained ref.

Yes. Your safety matters to us, so every player must wear shin pads.

On 3G and 4G pitches: football boots or shoes with non-metal studs or blades, AG (artificial grass) boots, astroturf shoes or trainers. On sand-dressed (2G) pitches: astroturf shoes or trainers only. We recommend soft studs or dimpled soles on every surface. See our guide to footwear for 3G pitches.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) found no reason to advise people against playing sport on 3G pitches with rubber crumb.