Ha, thank you very much. The problem is twofold… Firstly the major one is that they seem to do anything they can to stop you leaving… pretending not to get emails giving notice etc. Asking favours of teams to play a few matches until they find a replacement and then saying that locks them into a new season etc. Then intimidating you until you give in. A lot of stories bounding about. Really shady stuff. Then there’s the fact the league is a shambles. They seem to be incapable of organising what they say they will - a football league where by you turn up each week to play a match of around 40 minutes long. So many basic problems, no balls, playing matches in the dark, no bibs, matches cut short, referees don’t know rules, a problem with violent conduct which goes unpunished etc seems like we’re not the only team who can’t field a team each week as no one wants to waste their time playing. They then double your weekly amount owed up from £35 to £70 each week… you then try and fight them but they fight back harder and intimidate you and get aggressive… then as the debt isn’t cleared at the end of the season you are automatically enrolled in a new season so it goes on and on…! I’m now in a position where I can’t field a team, we have 14 weeks left in the season So..I would be liable for £980 and if not paid I’m then enrolled again and again.

Hi, I joined a soccer sixes league recently and it’s been a total shambles. Happy to explain in more detail if wanted but the short of it is that none of our team want to play anymore and I’m in the process of getting us out of the league. googling about it sent me down a rabbit hole of hundreds of peoples bad (illegal?) experiences of lifetime contracts, not being allowed to leave the leagues etc. I decided to go to our games this week just to talk to the other teams and see what they were saying… it turns out our league is almost all made up of teams from previous seasons who they haven’t let leave despite giving notice etc. They’ve been threatened with legal / being reported to FA on a groundless basis to the extent they’re scared to leave. One young kid is so terrified that he can’t pick up the phone to them anymore as he’s been called a names etc and shouted at so much. I’m confident I can get out the league and if they take me to court I’ll fight it and have a good case… but I want to stop them doing this repeatedly over and over. There’s a lot of intimated people out there who can’t leave the leagues. I’m working on building a case to report to the FA and the press and would love any stories of what they’ve done in the past. [Email edited - HB]