A NEW six-a-side league set to kick-off in Belvedere is being backed by Premiership referee Alan Wiley.

Trinity Secondary School in Erith Road will host the competition every Sunday between 6pm and 8pm.

Organisers Leisure Leagues have yet to decide a final date for the launch, but they hope to have it up and running by March 14 or March 21.

However, they have waivered the usual £25 joining fee and all new sides will also receive a free retro team kit.

Mr Wiley said: “I am pleased to be supporting this new venture in Belvedere and also very pleased organisers Leisure Leagues have such a strong history of supporting national charities including The Dogs Trust and Cancer Research.”

Leisure Leagues’ general manager Chris Rowntree said: “We run leagues right across the country.

“Although most of the teams come from local amateur clubs, the majority of our teams are simply made up of work colleagues, pub teams, or groups of friends.

“This means the standard can be very varied, but we will be providing different divisions for different standards, so everybody is given the opportunity to play a competitive game of football once a week with the chance of winning prizes.”

Both the winners and runners-up will receive gold or silver trophies for each individual player, with the bottom team in the division receiving a silver-plated wooden spoon.

In addition to this, there will be awards for player of the season as well as a magnum of champagne for the winning team.

Mr Rowntree added: “There has been a lot of interest already for the new league and I would urge any teams that are thinking about entering to do so as soon as possible, as places will be very limited.

“We already run successful leagues throughout the UK and are certain the league in Belvedere will be just as popular as the others already running.”

As well as the free entry and kit, each match will be refereed by a qualified official and all equipment will be provided.

The only cost for teams is the weekly match fee for each team, which Leisure Leagues guarantee to be the lowest in the area.

Leisure Leagues are also committed to investing all its profits into charities and environmentally sustainable projects, a fact executive director Stephanie Bullock is proud of.

She said: “Groups of mates enjoying a fun, competitive game with us has been what we are about since 1978.

“We are proud of our role within the community.

“It is very important people enjoy the games with us.

“We see it as key we give something back to the areas where our leagues take place.”

To register a team, call 0845 230 2340 or register online at leisureleagues.net