One of Sky’s crown jewels in the noughties, Masters Football was hugely popular
Picture the scene: you’ve gone back to the noughties, you’re skiving off work/school, and looking for something to watch on TV to pass your time. Antiques Roadshow, no. Homes Under The Hammer, no. The Big Bang Theory, absolutely not. After a few minutes of scrolling through the channels, you strike gold: Masters Football is on Sky Sports.
The programme first aired in 2000 and lasted for 11 years but has remained a constant talking point – whether that be in terms of nostalgia or petitions to bring the show back on our screens.
NLD – 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹
Ahead of the Super Sunday showdown, relive the rivals going at it in Masters Football pic.twitter.com/BAnlhWweLu
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 14, 2021
If you were somehow unfortunate enough to never tune into one of the truly great sporting masterpieces, then here is a basic rundown of how the format worked:
- Masters Football was a six-a-side competition which took place throughout the UK. Only players over the age of 35 were eligible to play and were selected by the Masters Football Selection Committee. Very official.
- Those players would go on to represent a senior club they had previously played for and would start off by playing in regional heats before the winners would go on to play in a national competition.
- Each game normally comprised two halves lasting eight minutes each, and was played on a pitch the size of an ice hockey rink. Oh, and there were no offsides.
Nostalgic memories
More often than not – especially if you were a child when Masters Football first aired, half the time you spent watching it would be taken up by your parents reminiscing of players they used to watch as a youngster on the terraces.
Big-name players like Bryan Robson and Gary McAllister featured – often taking it far too seriously and thinking that they were back in the prime of their careers again.
Unfortunately for them, they weren’t, but it provided great entertainment for us back home as these once-upon-a-time superstars gasped for breath two minutes into the game.
We are delighted to announce the Remastered Masters Football series is available to view on @primevideouk
Grand Final events from 2003 – 2011 are now available for Amazon Prime UK members https://t.co/w0VwR9L9a9 #MastersFootball #AmazonPrimeVideoUK pic.twitter.com/6Y1e54ZtXi
— Masters Football (@mastersfootball) October 5, 2020
Why did it stop?
It’s no coincidence that since Masters Football came off our TV screens that the world has gone to shit, but unbeknown to us at the time, 2011 would be the last time it would grace our eyes.
Of course, there are still some forms of Masters Football – but they are exclusive to countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore. There have been spin-off events such as Star Sixes which, while a great spectacle, simply don’t compare to the magic of Masters Football.
But why did Sky stop showing it? Quite simply, because not enough people turned up.
It’s all well and good watching it on TV, but actually selling the idea of going to watch men in their 40s kicking a ball around a hard court box for 16 minutes in-person proved to be harder than they’d hoped.
It’s probably also the sort of event that isn’t really tailored to someone looking to make a day out of it, but more towards families. But honestly, what four-year-old has ever been so desperate to see the likes of Matt Le Tissier meander round a tiny pitch? What child even knows who Matt Le Tissier is?
As attendances to the events decreased, Sky found it harder to generate the funds and these big-time names weren’t going to play for nothing.
No matter how prestigious Masters Football was to us lot at home, John Barnes and Peter Beardsley were never going to turn up and pay subs.
What would it look like if returned now?
Probably not much different in all honesty. For a younger generation who grew up not really knowing who the players are, there would certainly be more recognisable faces playing.
You could fully imagine the likes of Kevin Nolan going in for a two-footed tackle on those pitches – let’s just hope they wouldn’t introduce VAR.
It could definitely have potential and there would certainly be the clamour for it from those who want to spend an hour of their time at the weekend in front of the sofa watching the likes of Shola Ameobi mistiming shots at Brad Friedel, but it’s whether Sky would think it’s worth doing.
At the very least, they could bring back old re-runs of the programme to fill up the time we spend counting down to the weekend’s sporting events.
So what am I supposed to do now?
Whilst it seems like there are no plans to bring the show back anytime soon, you can still revel in the memories of the legendary programme.
The place to go for all your Masters Football needs is Amazon Prime. There you will be able to delve into every single series as well as the UK Cup Grand Finals and all specials – the only downside being that you have to pay for the privilege to watch them.
Or if all else fails and you’re not feeling like paying to watch an all-time classic, you could always try and do it yourself. I’m sure there’s some obscure noughties and nineties footballers who would be desperate to take part in such a project.
