Masters Football was a six-a-side indoor football competition in the United Kingdom, where players over the age of 35 were chosen by the Masters Football Selection Committee to represent a senior club for which they played. Regional heats were held, and the winners of each progressed forward to a national competition. Events were contested over the course of a single evening (usually on Saturdays or Sundays), with games played in two halves of eight minutes each. The pitch was 60m (200feet) by 30m (100feet) (the size of an international ice hockey rink), and there was no offside rule.[1]
The competition ran from 2000 to 2011, live on the UK subscription channel Sky Sports. In 2022, online streaming platform 360 Sports TV announced they would be reviving the competition.[2] [3]
| Venue | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| Braehead Arena | Renfrew | |
| Echo Arena Liverpool | Liverpool | |
| LG Arena | Birmingham | |
| M.E.N. Arena | Manchester | |
| Metro Radio Arena | Newcastle upon Tyne | |
| National Ice Centre | Nottingham | |
| National Indoor Arena | Birmingham | |
| Odyssey Arena | Belfast | |
| Planet Ice Arena | Milton Keynes | |
| Sheffield Arena | Sheffield | |
| SkyDome Arena | Coventry | |
| Wales National Ice Rink | Cardiff | |
| Wembley Arena | London |
Two referees are chosen to officiate in each event, from the following list. They are all FA-endorsed except John Underhill, who is an SFA referee.
| Year | Champion | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Wales Masters | |
| 2000 | Wales Masters | |
| 2001 | All-Ireland Masters | |
| 2002 | not held | |
| 2003 | Wales Masters | |
| 2004 | England Masters | |
| 2005 | not held | |
| 2006 | not held | |
| 2007 | All-Ireland Masters | |
| 2008 | not held | |
| 2009 | All-Ireland Masters |
| Year | Champion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Liverpool | |
| 2009 | Manchester United |
