A NOVEL new 11-a-side competition – the 60 Minute League – is set for a September lift-off at the Gloucestershire FA’s football centre in Almondsbury.

Players aged 16 and over qualify to sign up for the programme, which involves matches taking place biweekly on Friday evenings at the GFA’s popular Oaklands Park 3G facility.

The league is scheduled to kick-off on Friday, September 5 and contains three separate 14-week blocks, the first continuing until December 5, the second between January 9 and May 1, 2015, and the third commencing on May 15 and ending on August 14.

Organiser Jenny Pead said the initiative was designed to appeal to soccer enthusiasts who wished to engage in competitive full-sided football on a Friday evening rather than at weekends.

She explained: “We’ve called it the 60 Minute League as that’s the duration of the game, including a half-time break.

“The idea behind the league is to give adults the opportunity to participate in 11 v 11 football outside of the traditional weekend format.

“Many people would love to get stuck into a competitive game of football but find time is not on their side at weekends, often due to family or work circumstances.

“In this new league teams will play once a fortnight, which we hope will help those who are unable to commit to more regular football find the means to get involved.

“We’ll be providing the 3G pitch and the referees and it’s just a case of people getting in touch to provide the teams, made up, perhaps, of work colleagues, existing football clubs, or social and friendship groups, however they want to do it.”

Kick-off times for the Friday fixtures are scheduled for 7.30pm and 8.30pm. Cost to teams is £48 per match.

For information about the league, and how to enter a team, contact Jenny Pead at jenny.pead@gloucestershirefa.com or call her on 01454 615888 (select option 3).