Football is a simple enough game involving two teams of 11 players plus substitutes. The problem is, sometimes people like to try to reinvent it in order to make it more accessible for some or more exciting for others.
That is where the likes of five-a-side came from, reducing the numbers down so as to create a game that is fast and furious.
Now a group of celebrities are getting involved in the Baller League, which is something that originated in Germany and is now looking to expand into the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The question is, what is it and is there a reason you should care?
The Baller League Explained
The entire point of the Baller League is that it is looking to be something of a disruptor for the world of football. It is a six-a-side format that was created by Felix Starck, a German entrepreneur who worked alongside footballers Lukas Podolski and Mats Hummels in order to get it off the ground.
The aim is for it to be fast, thrilling and offer football fans something different to do with their time. Each half of a game will last for 15 minutes, meaning that overall games will be half an hour of play. The matches take place on smaller indoor pitches that are suitable for six-a-side games, with squads made up of 12 players.
Who’s stoked for this? 😜
A new era of football has arrived.
Baller League UK and Baller League USA – coming 2025.
PART 1
— BallerLeague (@ballerleagueuk.bsky.social) 25 November 2024 at 19:51
Each player will earn £400 per game in the UK’s version of the sport. One of the key aspects of the Baller League is the fact that rule twists will be introduced for the final three minutes of each half, which could see games turned completely on their head. It might be the case that the match becomes three versus three, for example, or that goals scored from long range count as double.
Goalkeepers might not be able to use their hands during the three minute period. There is also the fact that, during the normal period of the match, penalties will be played in the one-on-one style that we’ve become accustomed to with the MLS.
Who is Behind It
If you’ve used social media in recent time then you might well have noticed some big online personalities talking about the Baller League. KSI, who boasts nearly 25 million YouTube subscribers, will become the President of the UK version of the game and has therefore been talking about it on a regular basis.
IShowSpeed, who is also an online personality thanks to the fact that he is a streamer, will become the President of the United States of America’s version of the Baller League. Former footballers like Gary Lineker and John Terry have also been getting involved, although with the latter that’s hardly a shock.
Terry has already been involved in the likes of Non-Fungible Tokens, keen to get involved with anything he thinks will further his personal circumstances. In the case of the Baller League, Terry, like with Lineker, has been lined up to be a manager of one of the teams. Other football legends have also been tapped up to become involved, such as Luis Figo, Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires and Jens Lehmann.
Many of them will be coaches rather than managers, but the big-name stars are there to attract more interest in the league, which it is hoped will be able to break through into an already saturated market for football supporters.
Can Anyone Play?
The plan is for the Baller League to get underway on the third of March 2025, with matches played every Monday until the 19th of May. The top four teams at the end of the league campaign will qualify for the play-offs, which will be used to decide upon the overall champion.
Trials will take place in London and Manchester to find the players, with futsal players, recently retired professional and free agents all eligible to play. Footballers who have been released by academies will also be able to take part, giving them a second chance in a sport that far too often tends to forget all about those that failed to make it.
🗣️ “Football is not too big to fail”
Can football be disrupted?
Should it be disrupted?Build the $20bn ‘UFC of Football’? Welcome to Baller League.
CEO Felix Starck is producing the shorter, quicker, free-flowing product to capture and hold the attention he believes is… pic.twitter.com/c1EdJJNqg4
— Charlie Stebbings (@CharlieStebbs) November 20, 2024
It means that those of you that take part in a regular weekend five-a-side game hoping to suddenly become involved in the Baller League will be sadly disappointed. What you can do, though, is tune in to games that will be live streamed on YouTube, whilst Chunkz, a YouTube personality, will be hosting a weekly show all about the games that have taken place and the ones that are upcoming.
The aim is for the Baller League to follow in the footsteps of the likes of the Misfits Boxing contest, in which minor celebrities and online influencers take part in boxing matches against one another. It is hoped that the mix of celebrities and sports stars will bring in an audience.
@nicolehollidayx Baller League is coming to the UK and i am vvvv here for it!! THOUGHTS?? 👀👇🏼 #ballerleague #ballerleagueuk #ksi #footballtiktok #miniminter #chunkz #sidemen ♬ original sound – Nicole Holliday
The creator of the Baller League, Starck, believes that football is ‘no longer as easy as just saying ‘look, we’re here now, come and watch us”. Instead he thinks that it needs to be ‘exciting and authentic’, which are, he claims ‘two words that we always use at Baller League’.
Whilst most older people will have no idea who most of the influencers are who are getting involved, confused by names such as ‘AngryGinge’, ‘Tobi’ and ‘Miniminter’, there is little question that younger generations will be quick to not only recognise the names but also be keen to listen to what they have to say. It is unlikely to challenge the Premier League any time soon, but the Baller League might be more than just a flash in the pan.
