As the blood poured from my teammate’s mouth and his tooth skittered across the artificial grass, I felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu. This wasn’t the first time I’d witnessed a gruesome injury playing five-a-side football. I myself had just recovered from ruptured ankle ligaments for the second time in 18 months, due to an aggressive tackle. What I’m describing will be familiar to more than 1.5 million adults who play “small-sided football” every week in the UK. They’ll all have seen a scrape, scuffle or been involved in an unwelcome fight during a game. But this was the last straw – and I knew I would have to hang up my boots.
I’ve always loved football. When I was younger, it was all I could think about. Today, I’m a season ticket holder, Football Manager hopeful, Fifa teammate and amateur analyst. Cheering from the stands is my favourite way to spend a Saturday. I’ve never been a good player. But for me, that never mattered: playing five-a-side was about getting some exercise and hanging out with my mates. But the reality never matched up to what I hoped it would be.
