Struggling footballer sets up five-a-side league for players who can't pass

"Nobody was passing me the ball, nobody was calling me to play again"
Raphael Kopel created a league for people who wanted to learn how to play football as adults
Ellena Cruse6 February 2020

A Londoner has set up a five-a-side league for adults who are embarrassed about their lack of football skills.

Raphael Kopel found out how hard it was to start playing the game as an adult and despite joining teams across the capital he never got much experience as other players avoided him.

Feeling disheartened that the grassroots sport wasn't accessible to people of all abilities, the 41-year-old decided to create a league of his own where adults could learn and play at the same time.

Speaking to the Standard, he said: "I spoke to a lot of people to get some advice on how to quickly learn how to play football - I basically wanted shortcuts so I wouldn't look like an idiot on the pitch.

Raphael Kopel hurt his head will running to a football match
Raphael Kopel

"Frustratingly, I always got the same answer: 'You just got to play more if you want to improve'.

"Following this advice, I joined a few five-a-side leagues across London but quickly realised that you can’t 'fake it till you make it' in football. Nobody was passing me the ball, nobody was calling me to play again."

Undeterred, Mr Kopel decided to look for one-to-one coaches.

The player said you "can't fake it till you make it" in five-a-side football
Raphael Kopel

Despite trying quite a few, he claims the teachers he encountered were not able to put themselves "in the shoes of an adult beginner who can’t even kick a ball, let alone do kick-ups".

“I couldn’t believe it - I was living in a city where everyone you meet supports a team and talks about the Premier League as if they are pundits but where there is nowhere for an adult to learn how to play the ‘beautiful game’," he added.

"It was all this that made me believe that football is an elitist sport. Not in the conventional way - that elitism manifests itself amongst differences of social classes and backgrounds - but between people who had a chance to learn how to play as children and others who didn’t.

"So I bit the bullet, like they told me to, and carried on playing in a couple of five-a-side leagues."

Raphael Kopel is a teacher and devised step by step learning exercises
Raphael Kopel

Mr Kopel gave it his all - breaking a couple of fingers and his hand in the process.

He jokingly calls these injuries "unexpected joys", which have meant he is routinely searched at airport security.

The novice also smashed his head against a lamp post as he was running to a tournament but accepts he can't entirely blame the accident on elitism in grassroots football.

Raphael Kopel broke his hand while trying to play football
Raphael Kopel

"Sixteen stitches later, and a team who won without me anyway, I decided to take a step back and reflect on what I had done so far and also what I could change to further enjoy this new hobby of mine,” he added.

“It was turning 40 and becoming a dad that encouraged me to start a new journey. I wanted to share what I had learnt along the way and also to give others the opportunities to improve.

"Whilst I am not the most technical player out there, as a language teacher by profession I am able to plan very thorough training sessions that break down all the basic football skills - dribbling, passing, shooting, as well as some more specific five-a-side team strategies."

At first, the budding footballer hired coaches to deliver sessions but he could never find the right person for the job.

As well as a league Raphael Kopel also puts on charity tournaments
Raphael Kopel

He claims he tried lots of coaches who were unreliable, or unable to speak in front of people.

"One of them even vanished with all my balls," he said.

"So I bit the bullet and took my Level 1 football coaching course to start training people.

Lot of people of all abilities take part in Raphael Kopel's charities tournaments

"I don’t intend to become the next Arsene Wenger or Zinedine Zidane, I just want to help adult beginners who don’t know where to start their football career.”

Mr Kopel also organises five-a-side day tournaments that are open to anyone, regardless of football or fitness level. Participants can enjoy the buzz of taking part in competition without the hassle of forming a team beforehand.

Money raised from the events is donated to football-related charities.

Raphael Kopel didn't want to "look like an idiot on the pitch"
Raphael Kopel

Mr Kopel believes that there are thousands of people who would like to learn how to play football in London, and hundreds of thousands of people who would like to improve their game.

He added: "Perhaps they are not aware of it but their teammates know."

He said he is on a mission to convince all novice footballers across London that they can improve their ball skills.

"The solution takes place every Sunday in the heart of London," he said.

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