Community
Masters league welcomes a new vintage as Lions and Scrabble renew their fierce rivalry
September 10, 2025 07:48
This Sunday morning sees the start of the new Maccabi Masters Football League (MMFL) season as seven teams get set to battle it out in one of the community’s longest-running and most competitive sporting competitions.
In a major development for the new campaign, the league has lowered its entry age to 40, opening the door for a new generation of players to extend their footballing careers in a fully competitive 11-a-side format.
Chairman Simon Black explained: “There’s often a gap for players in their late thirties who step away from the MGBSFL, but still want proper football. Our mission is to fill that void and give as many people as possible the chance to keep playing the game they love.”
While London Lions completed a League and Nathan Horwitz Cup double last season, their close rivalry with Scrabble is set to continue, with both sides having made summer signings.
Also strengthened are last season’s Jack Morgan Trophy winners EHRS, while Hendon Harriers, St John’s Wood Tigers, Brady and last season’s third-placed Temple Fortune Old Boys complete the line-up.
Black said: “Masters football is fiercely contested, but retains a strong social spirit. Matches are played on top-class 4G pitches in north London with accredited referees over a full 90 minutes.
“The only change to regular football is to allow roll-on, roll-off subs, which means everyone gets to play the majority of the game, barring injury.”
The League will also serve as a platform for players who will be representing Maccabi GB in the 45+ and 55+ squads at next year’s Maccabiah Games in Israel, which only goes to underlines the quality on display each week. Off the pitch, the sense of community runs just as strong. At the league’s recent charity dinner to mark its founding in 1999, more than 100 former and current players and officials came together, raising more than £5,000 for Magen David Adom, which will fund a street defibrillator in Israel.
Always on the lookout to welcome new players and teams, Black added: “Almost everyone that tries Masters football loves it and stays with it.
“It’s competitive, organised, and is real football.
“We’d love more people to experience it.”
For more information on joining the league as a player or team, visit www.mmfl.org.uk
To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.