Baller League officially launched in the UK on Monday evening, with the event already proving to be a major talking point amongst Non-League fans – here is everything you need to know about it.
This new concept is a brand new six-a-side football tournament, containing 12 teams and over 140 players. These players are made up of current free agents, Non-League/semi-professional footballers and social media stars.
The matches will take place every Monday for 11 weeks, before the top four sides head into a separate play-off system to decide the overall winner and will be played at the Copper Box Arena in London.
To kick our breakdown of the event off, let’s start with the rules of the competition and what fans can expect when the event launches on Monday 24th March.
What are the rules of ‘Baller League’?
Firstly, each week the 12 teams will face off against each other (one game per round) before the final four can then be determined.
The matches itself are 30-minutes long (two 15-minute halves). Interestingly, there is a hidden twist for the final three minutes of every match.
These will feature elements such as goalkeepers not being able to use their hands, long-range efforts being worth two goals instead of one and much more. The twists will change game-by-game.
Every match will be live streamed on three separate platforms; Sky Sports, Twitch and YouTube.
Who are the teams and managers involved?
Baller League will contain 12 brand new teams, with each managed by either footballers, social media personalities or musicians.
The teams and managers involved in this are as follows;
- Trebol FC | Manager: Luis Figo – Former professional footballer & Ballon D’Or winner
- VZN FC | Manager: TBJZL – YouTuber
- Deportrio | Managers: Micah Richards, Alan Shearer & Gary Lineker – Former professional footballers
- SDS FC | Manager: Sharky – YouTuber
- 26ers | Manager: John Terry – Former professional footballer
- Yanited | Managers: Angry Ginge & Sam Cox – YouTuber and former Wealdstone manager
- N5 FC | Managers: Jens Lehmann, Robert Pires & Freddie Ljungberg – former professional footballers
- M7 FC | Manager: Miniminter – YouTuber
- Santan FC | Manager: Dave – Musician
- FC Rules the World | Manager: Clint 419 – entrepreneur
- Wembley Rangers AFC | Manages: Ian Wright & Chloe Kelly – former professional footballer and current Arsenal ladies footballer
- MVPS United | Managers: Maya Jama & Alisha Lehmann – TV personality and Juventus women footballer
Now you have learned more about Baller League, the team names and the managers of the sides – let’s take a closer look at which players will be featuring for each side.
During the YouTube live stream, the majority of player details were left unanswered (name spelling, position, club/profession etc) so this list is as accurate as can be at the time of writing and will be updated once more information becomes available.
Trebol FC:
Managed by former Ballon D’Or winner Luis Figo, the side contains a very experienced name in the form of defender Ciaran Clark.
The team also went outside of the box with a couple of YouTube five-a-side players in their squad.
The full team is as follows:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Kai McKenzie-Lyle | Goalkeeper for Oxford City |
| Vani Da Silva | Former Oldham Athletic forward |
| Isaac Modi | Midfielder for Radcliffe FC |
| Ciaran Clark | Former Aston Villa defender |
| Ethan Oke | Former Cray Valley FC forward |
| Reggie Yembra | Defender for Under the Radar FC (YouTube) |
| Emi | – |
| Ryan Cordwell | Player For Five Guys FC (YouTube) |
| Jordan Brown | Player for Egham Town FC |
| Shani Omed | – |
| Aaron Stevens | Goalkeeper |
| Nathan Bowen | Defender for Kidderminster Harriers |
VZN FC:
Managed by YouTuber TBJZL, they came flying out of the blocks by welcoming two former Premier League players in the shape of Henri Lansbury and Jerome Sinclair.
Love Island’s Montel McKenzie also joins their side.
The squad in full:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Henri Lansbury | Retired footballer (Ex. Aston Villa) |
| Kurtice Herbert | England 6-a-side midfielder |
| Jerome Sinclair | Former Liverpool striker |
| Remy Mitchell | Former Arsenal academy goalkeeper |
| Montel McKenzie | Defender for Billericay Town |
| Florian Kastrati | Former Crawley Town midfielder |
| Michael Onovwigun | Defender for Corinthian Casuals |
| Barrell Mensah | Forward for Corinthian Casuals |
| Ethan McLeod | Former Wolves Academy Winger |
| Diego Dombaboni | Kings Langley FC Player |
| Jami Kheresi | Former Brentford Academy player |
| Luka Barusic | Former Reading forward |
Deportrio:
Managed by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, Deportrio have four very experienced players in the side.
Bakary Sako and Marvin Sordell have both played in the Premier League, whilst Alex Dyer and Tommy Scott are also National League players.
The squad in full:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Bakary Sako | Former Crystal Palace striker |
| Adam Dawson | Former Notts County forward |
| Francis Mampolo | Forward for Dover Athletic |
| Zach Fagan | Former Arsenal Academy defender |
| Marvin Sordell | Former Coventry City striker |
| Charlie Kuehn | England 6-a-side defender |
| Tommy Scott | Goalkeeper for Eastleigh FC |
| Raphael Garcia | Former Everton Academy player |
| Alex Dyer | Defender for Wealdstone FC |
| Ruben Singill | – |
| Tristan Goodridge | – |
| Leo Serri | – |
SDS FC:
Managed by YouTuber Sharky, SDS FC got first pick in the draft and quickly brought in former Lincoln City and Stevenage winger Bruno Andrade.
Active Non-League players were also the focus with several current/former sixth tier individuals making the team.
Their squad is as follows:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Bruno Andrade | Former Lincoln City winger |
| Bayley Brown | Midfielder for Enfield Town |
| Ody Alfa | Forward for Slough Town |
| Cole Da Silva | Defender for Bishop’s Stortford |
| David Marques Castanho | Former Braintree Town midfielder |
| Calvin Dickson | England futsal midfielder |
| Big John | Popular goalkeeper on TV show Soccer AM |
| Camilo Restrepo | Forward for Wingate & Finchley |
| Finlay Chadwick | Midfielder for Worthing FC |
| Michael Folivi | Former Coventry City striker |
| Hussein Mahdi | – |
| Tyler Edmundson | Former Southampton Academy defender |
26ers:
Managed by former Chelsea and England captain John Terry, 26ers have plenty of Non-League experience – including former Coventry winger Bilal Sayoud.
Terry also brought in former Chelsea Academy graduate Marcel Lewis.
Their squad is as follows:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| J’ardell Stirling | Defender for Biggleswade Town |
| Bilal Sayoud | Former Coventry City winger |
| Sak Hassan | Forward for Hashtag United |
| Kojo Apenteng | Defender for Haybridge Swifts |
| Marcel Lewis | Former Chelsea Academy defender |
| Jordan Ibe | Former Liverpool forward |
| Matt Chizzum | Goalkeeper |
| Emmanuel Rowe | Forward |
| Justin Dass | Midfielder for Marlow FC |
| Spike Stegel | Former Reading Academy graduate |
| Vladislav Platinov | Eastleigh FC Academy player |
| Jack Crook | – |
Yanited:
Managed by YouTuber Angry Ginge, Yanited’s squad contains two current National League defenders – one of whom has won the EFL Championship with Fulham.
Fellow content creator Harry Cain is also selected.
Their squad is as follows:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Kadell Daniel | Former Crystal Palace Academy graduate |
| Michael Hector | Defender for Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Mohammed Mahyoub | Former Manchester City academy forward |
| Remi Clerima | Defender for Maidenhead United |
| Percy Kiangebeni | Defender for Hashtag United |
| Medy Elito | Former Cambridge United Midfielder |
| Max Pitman | Goalkeeper & Content Creator |
| Harry Cain | Winger & Content Creator |
| Henry Ochieng | Midfielder for Slough Town |
| Daniel Thompson | – |
| Daniel Woods | – |
| Pharrell Mensah | – |
N5 FC:
Managed by Freddie Ljungberg, Jens Lehmann and Robert Pires, N5 FC have build a squad containing at least three recognisable faces.
Adrian Mariappa has featured in the Premier League with Watford, whilst winger Charlie Wakefield is a Chelsea Academy graduate and has also featured for Coventry City.
Their full squad is as follows:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Owen Locke | Goalkeeper (Currently a free agent) |
| Adrian Mariappa | Defender & captain of Wealdstone FC |
| Brian Ly | Midfielder for Bury FC |
| Charlie Wakefield | Former Coventry City winger |
| Dayo Adekoya | Former Airbus UK Forward |
| Chris Arthur | Former Crawley Town defender |
| Imran Kayani | Forward for Whitehawk FC |
| Michael Klass | Midfielder for Eastbourne FC |
| James Alabi | Forward for Welling United |
| Troy Molunda | Former Stoke City Academy graduate |
| Callum Charlton | Defender for Wakefield FC |
| Freddie Berratti | – |
M7 FC:
Managed by YouTube star Miniminter, M7 FC contains a plethora of Non-League experience in their ranks.
The standout name here is Gateshead defender Jean Belehouan who could be a League Two defender once again next season.
Their final squad is as follows:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Jesse Waller-Lassen | Former Hashtag United midfielder |
| Femi Akinwande | Forward for Billericay Town |
| Stefan Ilic | Midfielder for Hendon FC |
| Jean Belehouan | Defender for Gateshead FC |
| Toby Bull | Goalkeeper for Lewes FC |
| Sam Fitzgerald | Midfielder for Hereford FC |
| Arjun Young | – |
| Ramez Gonzalo | – |
| Arin Zaha | – |
| Lewis Garcia | Former Hornchurch player |
| Henry Wise | Former New York Red Bulls player |
| Zion Nditi | Aldershot Town Academy player |
Santan FC:
Managed by British rapper Dave, Santan FC have heavily focussed their efforts on the Non-League scene, with almost all of their players being unfamiliar names.
Their full squad is as follows:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Michael Hill | Midfielder for Rayners Lane FC |
| Richard Afrane-Kesey | Former Charlton Athletic midfielder |
| Dominic Vose | Former Colchester United midfielder |
| Erick Kenko | Former Swansea City midfielder |
| Ranell McKenzie Lowes | Goalkeeper |
| Jamell Abubakari | Midfielder for South Park Reigate FC |
| Rico Okinari | Welsh Futsal champion |
| David Upu | Forward for Woodford Town |
| Abdullah Gervardi | Player for Camworth Villa FC |
| Jack Wilson | – |
| David Solidemi | – |
| Luca Valentine | – |
FC Rules the World:
Managed by businessman Clint, Rules the World have a variety of backgrounds in terms of footballing experience, which could make them well-balanced.
Most noticeably within the team is former Manchester United and Preston North End winger Josh Harrop.
Their squad is as follows:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Michael Ndiweni | Former Newcastle United youngster |
| Josh Harrop | Former Manchester United winger |
| Tareiq Holmes-Dennis | Former Huddersfield Town defender |
| Kevin Golzalez | Former Crystal Palace academy midfielder |
| Oliver Bosworth | Goalkeeper for Barwell FC |
| Karim Kamhouri | Moroccan futsal midfielder |
| Erghis Pepy | – |
| Onuchi Oki | Forward for Biggleswade Town |
| Youssef Chentouf | Former Wigan Athletic Forward |
| Alamiji Oluma | – |
| Sandro Kamara | Forward for Enfield Town |
| Festus Chalet | Former Manchester United Academy player |
Wembley Rangers AFC:
Managed by Ian Wright and Chloe Kelly, Wembley Rangers have opted for established relationships for the core of their team.
They have two former Tottenham Academy players & two England 6-a-side players. They also welcome former Maltese international Luke Gambin.
The squad in full:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Domingos Pires | England’s 6-a-side forward |
| Check Fayum | Former Fleetwood Town defender |
| Ben Long | England 6-a-side defender & captain |
| Stuart Cook | England futsal midfielder & captain |
| Oliver Cannon | Former Tottenham Academy goalkeeper |
| Juan Pablo | Former Tottenham Academy midfielder |
| Ruben Junior | Forward for Dover Athletic |
| Luke Gambin | Former Luton Town & Malta winger |
| Kaleb Kofi | – |
| Braden Shaw | Midfielder for Lancaster City |
| Joseph Diomande | – |
| Navid Nasseri | Midfielder for Stalybridge Celtic |
MVPS United:
Managed by Maya Jama and Alisha Lehmann, MVPS United have focussed heavily on Non-League talent to try and get the job done.
Former Shrewsbury & Cambridge man James Caton is their most recognisable player.
The squad in full:
| Player Name: | Profession: |
| Lorenzo Kevin Spinelli | Forward for Trafford FC |
| Ashton Peltier | Defender for Garford Town |
| Jake Chambers Shaw | Former Bury Town midfielder |
| Ross Derham | Midfielder for Mousehole AFC |
| Josh Rusoke | Defender for Hashtag United |
| James Caton | Former Shrewsbury Town winger |
| Alfie Matthew | Forward for Dover Athletic |
| Declan McCarthy | Goalkeeper |
| Jay Beckford | Forward for Sittingbourne FC |
| Joe Edwards | – |
| Dwayne Suel | – |
| Esteban Salgado | Former Malaga midfielder |
Readers, what are your thoughts in regards to the Baller League? Will you be watching it or do you strongly oppose it?