Mid-Aged Exercise Benefits

On the 5^th of August 2019, an intrepid group of enthusiastic footballers set out upon the formidable quest to win the title for the longest running five-a-side football match in the world.

The event took place at the well-known Sports Lounge indoor centre, located in Gwendolen Road, Leicester and was organised by team leaders Yasin Bhikha and Sarfraz Hussain in collaboration with the venue organisers.

This wasn’t just an attempt at the record but also a fund-raising campaign in support of the orphans of Syria and Yemen as well as providing much needed support for the homeless who reside in the streets of Leicester.

To qualify for the record, the teams had to play with squads of eight with five on the pitch at any one time and three substitutes in the wings. It was necessary to stick to a very strict rota to ensure that each player had an equal share of playing and resting time, with regular half-hour breaks.

The pressure was high as Yasin and Safraz worked extremely hard to make sure everything went smoothly, from accommodation to the nutritional snacks and food.

Friends and family came to support their loved ones as they attempted to play for a minimum of 72 hours. The atmosphere in the hall was incredible and it was a joy to watch as children who had come to watch the event, ran around with excitement.

Of course, no event would be complete without the cheering on of well-wishers who had flocked to the venue to watch this amazing moment in history. Their joyful participation motivated the players through the three-day ordeal, right to the very end.

Along with the cheers of encouragement, a bonanza of aromas from an international variety of freshly prepared foods filled the air and gave comfort and encouragement to the hungry players on the pitch, as well as the spectators and supporters off the pitch.

For three days straight and more, the brave teams battled on, as much against their own fatigue, as each other. Finally, after 80 hours of continuous play, they completing what is thought to be the longest ever five-a-side match on the planet.

This marathon effort saw more than 2,250 goals fly into the nets, with one team winning by the skin of their teeth. This was the end of more than a gruelling three-day ordeal, this was the culmination of months of hard work, effort and preparations.

Yasin, 25, told us that he had been working since December 2018, going through a long and arduous process of application to the Guinness Book of World Records to be able to comply with the strict regulations and enter the competition, but it was worth the wait!

He told us that despite the difficulties, the weeks leading up to the tournament were full of excitement, whether you were given the job of being on the hunt for the best referees, organising pre-match massages with the iCaht Clinic or contacting friends and families and asking them to take part as witnesses.

Yasin told us that despite the length of the challenge itself and the physical hardship and fatigue, that morale was high, and the team managed to pull themselves through the ordeal to complete the whole 80 hours!

In addition to this great success the event also managed to raise several thousand pounds for the relief of the orphans and the homeless, something that Yasin says was very much a central part of the whole effort.

When asked if he would do it all again, he simply smiled and said, Maybe in the future!