Arguably the most popular of the many variations of football, five-a-side is played with two teams of five players (four outfield players and a goalkeeper) on a smaller pitch, with smaller goals and with a reduced game time.
5-a-side matches can be played indoors or outdoors (the latter on AstroTurf or artificial grass pitches), which are often inside cages or surrounded by barriers to prevent the ball from leaving the playing area, thereby keeping the game flowing at a fast pace without the need for throw-ins or corners.
As of 2014, over 1.5m people across the UK play ‘small sided football (including five-a-side) every week, with 30,000 teams playing in organised leagues.