As football fans across the country enjoy the start of the season, a new 'Just Play' survey by The FA and Mars to encourage 150,000 adults to play football has revealed a staggering 54% of guys aren't enjoying regular kick-abouts with their friends.
On average, men feel compelled to hang up their boots due to a wide range of reasons including work commitments (37%), friends dropping out the game (20%) and the arrival of children (19%). One in ten men also admitted that pressure from their partner has led to them retiring before their time. The partnership between Mars and The FA is striving to get 150,000 new participants playing the game for at least 30 minutes a week by September 2013, and deliver a total of 3.9m hours of extra football played each year throughout England.
The programme is designed to inspire adults to play regular, accessible football in any form no matter what their level of experience and ability is. The FA and Mars are aiming to create over 100 FA Mars Just Play centres across the country, delivering casual football sessions that can benefit up to 50 participants at any one time.
Supporting the findings, Sport England has identified that one of the biggest groups hanging up their boots are young men aged 16-19 years old, who should be enjoying some of the best years of their grassroots football careers.
Encouraging football lovers to get active and play on, Chelsea striker and Just Play ambassador Daniel Sturridge, said: "It seems such a shame that people appear to be giving up on playing football so young. I loved playing football with my friends when I was younger and would still be doing that now even if I wasn't playing professionally. All the old-school games were brilliant, jumpers for goal-posts, World Cup, headers and volleys, three and in.
"That's why I'm supporting the Just Play programme. It doesn't matter what level you are or experience you have, it's all about having fun and playing the game you love, whilst fitting it round the every-day commitments that seem to stop people playing. The FA and Mars are really encouraging the nation to not retire before their time."
The research also found that despite the many reasons why adults are playing less football, 89 per cent of men and 69 per cent of women actually felt less stressed in general when they committed some of their free time to exercise.
The Just Play programme is part of The FA's National Game Strategy, a £200 million pound investment into grassroots football, which has so far arrested the decline in 11 a-side organised football. The stabilisation of our national game has been achieved by The FA recognising adults need for a range of flexible formats of the game alongside the traditional Saturday and Sunday organised leagues.
To get involved in a kick-about near you and to find your nearest Just Play centre, search for Just Play online: justplay.thefa.com
