LEAGUE TABLE: Derby and Nottingham are the least affordable cities to play five-a-side
Heading for a kickabout after work is a regular hobby for many football fans, but new research reveals that budding players could be spending almost half their daily wages to hire a five-a-side pitch for an hour.
The study, from leading savings site VoucherCodes.co.uk, analysed the cheapest price of hiring a five vs. five pitch at a range of Powerleague and Goals centres across the UK and found that the cost in Derby is the most expensive when compared to the average earnings in the city.
Football enthusiasts won’t play for cheaper than £54.40 at Derby Powerleague, with the cost only matched by Shoreditch in London. What’s more, when taking average earnings in each area into account, the Midlands city scores a major own goal – the cost of pitch hire is equivalent to nearly 3.5 hours work, or 43% of the day’s earnings.
Nottingham (42% of daily wages) and Gateshead (41%) are also disproportionately expensive owing to higher pitch costs and lower average wages in the cities.
Least affordable areas to play five-a-side football:
| City | Average Court cost at Powerleague/Goals | Average hourly wage | Time needed to work to afford pitch | Court cost as share of daily wage |
| Derby | £54.40 | £15.99 | 3h 24m | 43% |
| Nottingham | £44.50 | £13.27 | 3h 21m | 42% |
| Gateshead | £46.00 | £14.18 | 3h 15m | 41% |
| Southampton | £45.30 | £14.15 | 3h 12m | 40% |
| Wigan | £44.50 | £14.59 | 3h 03m | 38% |
At the other end of the table, those in Norwich – fresh from victory in the Championship this season – luck out by having the most affordable five-a-side pitches. The Goals centre in the Norfolk city costs just £25 for an hour and, even with lower wages than many other areas analysed, players only need to work just one hour 44 minutes to afford the booking.
Surprisingly, London features among the most affordable places for a small-sided game. With average earnings over 1.5 times that of other UK cities, players are required to pay the equivalent of 29% of their daily wages for an hour session.
Most affordable areas to play five-a-side football:
| City | Average Court cost at Powerleague/Goals | Average hourly wage | Time needed to work to afford court | Court cost as share of daily wage |
| London | £48.77 | £20.94 | 2h 20m | 29% |
| Coventry | £34.75 | £15.59 | 2h 14m | 28% |
| Sheffield | £32.40 | £15.25 | 2h 07m | 27% |
| Aberdeen | £30.00 | £17.22 | 1h 45m | 22% |
| Norwich | £25.00 | £14.39 | 1h 44m | 22% |
While those in some cities don’t have the luxury of being able to choose between different chains, others have the chance to make savings by playing at one centre over another. For example, players could save £11.27 by playing at the Goals branch in Wembley rather than Shoreditch Powerleague.
On average, a Powerleague pitch costs £3.43 more, but in some cities – such as Birmingham, Leeds, and Stoke – it is cheaper to play than at Goals. Glasgow has the biggest saving available by sticking with Powerleague (£17).
