The 5-a-side tournament offers the biggest prize pot in the country. Could you and your mates be the lucky winners?
Reckon you and your mates can ball your way to £10K in a 5-aside tournament? Well, here is your chance! The big time is back, as the Ladbrokes Players Cup, in partnership with Powerleague, is offering the biggest prize pool ever for a 5-a-side tournament in the UK and Ireland – £100K – in a free-to-enter tournament.
For the first time, separate tournaments for men and women are taking place side by side, with £10K going to the winners of each tournament.
Anyone 25 years of age or older can enter the tournament, with qualifying heats taking place in Manchester, Dublin, Glasgow, Barnet, Birmingham and Cardiff between 18th May and 23rd June before the big final in Birmingham on 13th July 2024.
Think it sounds too good to be true? Last year, the awesome Slough Scorpionz fired their way to the big prize money, even beating the Boss Level Team featuring stars of Arsenal’s legendary ‘Invincibles’ team, Premier League heroes and freestylers.
Below, GOAL ranks and rates the teams that stood out – for a variety of reasons – in last year’s Ladbrokes Players Cup…
LadbrokesTHE MEN’S WINNERS | Slough Scorpionz
Last summer, Slough Scorpionz fought their way to the finals in Birmingham and managed to beat the other 15 teams to the big prize. They got the better of Barrowfield Bruisers in the final, running out 2-0 winners in a hard-fought decider in Birmingham.
Not only that, they went on to achieve legendary status against a team that consisted of Premier League winners, securing an incredible win. That victory earned more money for them and every other team in the finals, taking the total prize pool to £33,000 – a record for a Powerleague tournament!
This year, teams will be able to take up the challenge of beating the Scorpionz as they return to defend their title, looking to bag the big money prize once again.
LadbrokesTHE WOMEN’S WINNERS | The Golden Oldies
Golden Oldies certainly lived up to their name in last year’s competition! They ran rampant in the final, beating FC Reunited 9-2 to secure their crown as winners of the women’s tournament.
They were well worth the victory, too, boasting the strongest players of the entire competition. Their star Chelsea Flanagan proved worth her weight in gold as she was voted the best player in the Players Cup, while Libby Dixon finished top of the goal charts.
The Golden Oldies also return for the 2024 tournament and, with an even greater prize pot on offer this year, it makes for an exciting prospect for teams looking to steal the crown.
THE GOOD VIBES | FC Reunited
The beaten finalists, FC Reunited, may not have finished up as winners of the tournament, but they provided an uplifting spirit to the women’s tournament right from the off. Their enthusiasm and love of the game was infectious as they won the hearts of many watching.
FC Reunited put in some excellent performances throughout the day until they were truly humbled by the eventual prize winners in the final. Nevertheless, the silver medallists got a share of the total pot and kept up their good spirits even in the face of their massive defeat.
THE TRIERS | GOAL FC
Perhaps you’d think a group of football lovers who get paid to watch football, talk about football and write about football would excel at football. But, What GOAL FC lacked in talent, they made up for in spirit.
Our own rag-tag bunch were humbled in 2023. They lost every game they played and ended up conceding over 20 goals, but it would have been much worse without goalkeeper Jack Jeffery, who pulled off some vital saves along the way. Plus, Gareth Jones was the team’s top scorer, giving them a fighting chance in some matches.
In a stumbling start, StillGotit FC kept a clean sheet against them in the first game, with GOAL FC missing a penalty. They managed to net a cheeky goal through Yani Ourabah in the second game, but bowed out of the competition in the early stages. Even though results went against them, they still claim “it was a great day out”. And that’s what it’s all about, right?