Brazil 2014’s not far away: Get playing with Lucozade Powerleague

To celebrate the fact England are definitely going to win the 2014 World Cup, The Tab has teamed up with Lucozade Powerleague to bring you the very best in student football.

Let’s be honest, the likes of Gerrard, Rooney and Lampard aren’t getting any younger, so now is the time for you to dig out your boots. The Three Lions are going to need some flair over in Brazil.

But unless you’re willing to shell out a stack of cash to join your uni football team, we know it’s difficult to find somewhere affordable to play in town.

If you’re going to make the effort to get off your sofa and show your silks, you’re going to need a league to fit your talents while going easy on your bank balance.

So forget BUCS or intra-mural. For a place to get started, look no further than the Generator-sponsored Student Leagues.

It’s so simple even Ashley Cole could understand. Get your mates together, think of a dodgy team name, and get stuck into the biggest student football movement in the country.

Free football

The big news here is that Lucozade Powerleague’s offering student teams their first league game free.

That’s free football people. Football so free that, if it was a role, not even Wayne Rooney could fill it.

After your freebie, you’ll be knee deep in weekly five-a-side matches. With promotion, relegation and prizes at Generator’s European hotels and hostels to win, there’s something serious to play for.

If you’re looking for a venue fit for your talents, forget Wembley or the Theatre of Dreams – they’re ridiculously overpriced. Lucozade Powerleague’s fully-enclosed pitches are built with the latest 5G technology. This is the good stuff.

If you’re still living in the age of sand astroturf, 5G’s what the pros train on. Forget keepy-ups on your weed-ridden student patio – to make it to Brazil you’ll need to start playing like a professional.

And what kind of friends would Lucozade Powerleague be if they weren’t offering a student discount? A terrible one, of course, so luckily they’ve got that covered. Hire a pitch as a one-off for a reduced rate. Or you can rock up on the day for a last-minute booking and save some serious cash.

As Alan Partridge once said: “Back of the net”. (It actually works in this context.)

As any football fan knows, what happens on the pitch is only half the story. Lucozade Powerleague brings the media circus to 5-a-side with its Press Centre. Read reports and see pictures and videos from your matches – kind of like having the best bits of Football Manager without the contract disputes.

Chuck in the Social Buzz feature, and you’ll see all the tweets, Facebook banter and videos from your league. That’s total coverage of your total football (or total coverage of you stacking it in front of goal, depending on how hungover you are).

The countdown to Brazil is on, so you’ve got until June 12, 2014 to whip your team into shape and join Roy’s boys in playing to the samba beat.

Lucozade Powerleague has pitches in central Manchester, south Manchester and Trafford . Head to the Lucozade Powerleague website for more information.