Every weekday morning from 7am to 9am, beneath the bridged section of the Mancunian Way, people from all walks of life come together to play football.
Although this may seem like a normal 7-a-side match, it is more than just a game. These sessions are part of something much wider – football is being made more accessible. Football For All is a non-profit organisation which aims to make the sport accessible to everyone.
Jack Bies, 39, works with Football For All and organises the morning sessions. He records them by setting up a camera and later shares the link to the YouTube video so players can watch the games back.
Football For All works in partnership with an app called Footy Addicts. This app makes it easier for people to find and join matches without the need for long-term commitments.
Jack explained: “Footy Addicts are like YouTube and Football For All is Mr Beast, we are the biggest game organisers on the app.”
It was founded in 2013 by Konstantinos Gkortsilas, who moved to London for work and wanted to play football but didn’t have friends and couldn’t join a Sunday league team – it was too competitive and there was nowhere to play.
He set up a group on Meetup to organise games in the park and this is where the idea came from.
The app allows people to sign up for free. Once registered, by typing in their location, they can browse a wide range of local games, filtering by location, time, date, and skill level. The games include 5-a-side, 6-a-side, and 7-a-side matches.
The morning games are very popular. Bamo Nouri, one of the players, said: “It is unbelievable – a brilliant start to the day. When I leave here in the mornings, I feel a million dollars. It’s a great community – I’ve made some great friends.”
Bamo said that he loves how the sessions are flexible and that he can attend when he wants to.
This is something that was said repeatedly by those attending – the core values that led to the creation of the app are why it’s so popular.
Many people want to play football but can’t join a team because they’re too busy or because they feel like it’s too serious.
Andrei Valimareanu, 32, is a regular attendee of the morning sessions and says the matches have been beneficial for both his physical and mental health.
A key audience of the sessions are students and people who have moved to somewhere new and want to find others to play with.
Football For All, however, goes beyond the app, aiming to revolutionise the way football is played in the UK by allowing everyone to play.
The organisation works alongside Care4Calais to provide refugees – who have often arrived from war-torn countries – with the chance to play football. Jack said that they hope to spread this initiative.
There is also a big focus on women’s participation. Jack said all games are mixed and inclusive: “Since the very first session, we’ve had women playing with men.
“In 2017, we had a consultation with the Women’s FA and we saw a gap in the market for women’s recreational football. So, since 2017, we’ve started a women’s footy programme where women and non-binary players can play. We currently hold nine weekly games in London; we’ve started women-only games in Glasgow and Manchester too.
“We believe we can make this nationwide – especially as EURO 2025 is next month. We would love for there to be a push to increase women playing football.”
But the most unique initiative is called Footy for Dads. Jack organises sessions aimed at fathers. Many men struggle to juggle work and parenting with sports and football – and even if they played previously, many find it hard to return after years out.
Football For All holds weekly evening sessions aimed at dads.
Jack did talk about the challenges, such as people not showing up or coming late, but said that Football For All is coming up with ideas to address these issues.
“If someone drops out, you can join the game until the very last minute,” he said. “We even sometimes offer free games, which isn’t really sustainable, but we don’t want there to be not enough people playing each game.
“We are planning some new ways of addressing the issue. To stop lateness, we are thinking of creating a ‘badge of shame’ which you have on your account for a month if you’re late five times.”
The impact on people’s mental health has been huge, according to the attendees I spoke to. Jack said that Football For All and Footy Addicts aim to change the way football is played in the UK.
Jack concluded by saying that one of the most rewarding aspects of these projects is the effect they have on many people’s mental health. Many participants have ADHD, OCD, autism, or social anxiety, or live with partial sight or hearing loss, and the difference these games have made to their lives is incredible.
A key aim of the organisation is also to have more accessible and cheaper games in deprived areas, and they want to introduce walking football for disabled, older people and youngsters.
In an era where the sport is often criticised for turning its back on the communities that built it, Football For All and Footy Addicts are offering a timely and much-needed alternative. From students and refugees to dads, women, and neurodivergent players, they are creating an open, supportive football culture.
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