Liverpool Amateur Football Leagues: Matchdays, Playing Levels and How to Join

Liverpool has amateur football for children, adult players, women, veterans and disabled players. The hard part is working out which league is the right one for you.

Some competitions play on Saturdays. Others are built around Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon fixtures. Youth football is divided by age, while the strongest adult Saturday leagues connect to the wider non-league football system.

This guide covers the main amateur leagues based in Liverpool or regularly used by Liverpool teams.

Last checked: July 2026. Divisions, teams and application arrangements can change before each season. Always check the league's official website or FA Full-Time page before applying.

The short version

• Adult Saturday football: the Liverpool Premier League (strongest local standard, feeds into the National League System) and the Liverpool Football League (four divisions, wider range of levels).
• Adult Sunday football: the Merseyrail Business Houses Football League and the South Lancashire Counties Football League (covers Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens and Wigan).
• Youth football: the Merseyside Youth Football League (under-7 to under-17, citywide) and the North Liverpool Junior Football League (north Liverpool, mostly Saturday mornings).
• Women's and girls' football: the Liverpool Women's and Youth Football League (open-age, feeds into the North West Women's Regional Football League) and the Liverpool County FA Girls League (junior).
• Veterans football: the I Zingari Veterans League, with divisions for players over 30 and over 40.
• Disability football: the Liverpool FA Ability Counts League, pan-disability and ability-banded.
• You normally join a club, not a league: find a team near you, contact the manager, and ask to attend training before paying anything.

Liverpool amateur football leagues at a glance

Liverpool County FA oversees around 50 affiliated and sanctioned competitions in total, but that figure includes youth divisions, mini-soccer, summer leagues, disability competitions, futsal and small-sided football. It doesn't mean Liverpool has 50 conventional adult 11-a-side leagues.

Adult Saturday football

Liverpool Premier League

The Liverpool Premier League is one of the strongest adult Saturday competitions in the local grassroots game. It was previously widely known as the Liverpool County Premier League; the competition now uses the Liverpool Premier League name on its official website.

The league contains established first teams, reserve sides, under-21 teams and development teams. Its strongest division also provides a route towards the National League System for clubs that meet the necessary playing, administrative and ground requirements.

Best suited to:

• Experienced adult players
• Strong established amateur clubs
• Reserve and development teams
• Clubs seeking progression towards regional non-league football

This isn't usually the easiest entry point for a completely new team. Clubs need dependable players, suitable facilities, qualified officials and enough volunteers to manage a full season. Players should contact individual clubs rather than asking the league to place them directly into a team.

Liverpool Football League

The Liverpool Football League provides Saturday football across a wider range of playing standards. The competition was formerly known as the Liverpool Old Boys Amateur League, founded in 1923, and was relaunched under its current name in 2024 after a century of history. Recent seasons have used four main divisions: Premier Division, Championship, League One and League Two.

This structure makes it suitable for established clubs, reserve teams and newer sides that may not be ready for the Liverpool Premier League. The league contained 48 teams across four divisions in its 2024/25 structure, although the exact number can change each season.

Best suited to:

• Adults looking for regular Saturday football
• Players returning to 11-a-side football
• New clubs seeking an appropriate lower division
• Established clubs running second or third teams

The playing standard varies considerably between divisions. Players should ask a club which division it plays in before attending training.

Adult Sunday football

Merseyrail Business Houses Football League

The Merseyrail Business Houses Football League is one of Liverpool's best-known Sunday competitions. The "Business Houses" name comes from the league's historical connection with workplace teams; modern entrants don't necessarily need to represent a company or employer.

It provides open-age 11-a-side football across several divisions, allowing both experienced teams and less established sides to compete at a suitable level. Liverpool FA's Sunday cup structure continues to include teams from its Premier and Championship divisions.

Best suited to:

• Adult Sunday teams
• Friendship groups forming a club
• Players unavailable on Saturdays
• Teams looking for local fixtures within Liverpool and nearby areas

Individual players normally join through a participating club. New teams should contact the league before the summer application deadline.

South Lancashire Counties Football League

Despite its name, the South Lancashire Counties Football League is relevant to Liverpool players and teams. The competition covers a wider area that can include Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens, Wigan and nearby districts, with several divisions giving teams a choice of competitive levels.

The league's 2025/26 structure included five divisions. Liverpool FA's Sunday Premier Cup also draws leading teams from the South Lancashire competition.

Best suited to:

• Sunday teams willing to travel outside Liverpool
• Clubs based in eastern Liverpool or Knowsley
• Teams wanting promotion and relegation across several levels
• Players seeking competitive Sunday football

Travel is likely to be greater than in a Liverpool-only competition. New teams should check the current club list before deciding whether the league is practical.

Junior and youth football

Merseyside Youth Football League

The Merseyside Youth Football League is one of the largest youth competitions serving Liverpool, providing development and competitive football from under-7 through to under-17. The divisions available depend on team entries each season, and recent competition information listed hundreds of teams across dozens of age and ability divisions.

Best suited to:

• Children beginning organised football
• Existing junior clubs
• Teams progressing from mini-soccer to 11-a-side football
• Parents seeking clubs across Liverpool and surrounding areas

Parents don't normally register a child directly with the league. The usual route is to find a participating club, contact the relevant age-group manager and arrange a training session. The league runs a team-location tool that can help families find nearby clubs.

North Liverpool Junior Football League

The North Liverpool Junior Football League is a more geographically focused option for teams in the north of the city. Matches are commonly associated with Saturday-morning football, including central-venue fixtures at Jeffrey Humble Playing Fields. The age groups offered can change according to applications and available pitch space.

Best suited to:

• Families in north Liverpool
• New junior teams seeking shorter journeys
• Clubs using central venues
• Younger children entering organised football

Parents should confirm the correct age group, format and venue with the club. A division may be 3v3, 5v5, 7v7, 9v9 or 11v11 depending on the age and current FA rules.

Women's and girls' football

Liverpool Women's and Youth Football League

The Liverpool Women's and Youth Football League provides competitive open-age women's football. Recent seasons have included several adult divisions alongside selected youth provision, with matches usually played on Sunday afternoons. The top level connects with the wider women's football pyramid, offering a possible route into the North West Women's Regional Football League.

Best suited to:

• Established women's teams
• Adult players seeking weekly competitive football
• Reserve and development teams
• Experienced girls moving towards open-age football

Complete beginners may be better starting with a recreational session or development team before entering a competitive league squad.

Liverpool County FA Girls League

The Liverpool County FA Girls League provides dedicated junior football for girls. Recent competition records included teams across several age-group divisions, with most fixtures played on Sundays. The precise age groups depend on the number of teams entered each season.

Best suited to:

• Girls looking for a dedicated girls' team
• Mixed clubs establishing a girls' section
• Players progressing from Wildcats or recreational football
• Girls moving out of mixed mini-soccer

Girls can also play in eligible mixed competitions, so families should compare the local club options rather than assuming a girls-only league is the only route.

Veterans football

I Zingari Veterans League

The I Zingari Veterans League is Liverpool's main affiliated veterans competition. Liverpool FA says the league provides divisions for players over 30 and over 40. Recent local club information shows Saturday-afternoon veterans fixtures within the competition.

Best suited to:

• Former adult players returning to football
• Players moving out of open-age teams
• Clubs creating over-30 or over-40 sections
• Older players who still want competitive 11-a-side matches

Age eligibility should be checked directly. Some divisions may use different age thresholds, and leagues can specify whether a player must reach the required age before the season or before the match.

Inclusive football

Liverpool FA Ability Counts League

The Liverpool FA Ability Counts structure provides football for disabled children and adults, using pan-disability and ability-banded formats. Players may be grouped according to football ability rather than separated into a different league for every impairment.

Local provision has included junior and adult teams playing organised fixture events, often on a monthly basis. Players or families should contact Liverpool FA for the current list of participating clubs and age groups.

How to join a Liverpool amateur football team

Individual players normally join a club rather than registering directly with a league. A useful approach:

1. Choose Saturday, Sunday, women's, youth or veterans football.
2. Open the league's current fixtures or tables.
3. Identify clubs based near your area.
4. Search for the club's official website or social account.
5. Contact the secretary or team manager.
6. Ask to attend training before paying any fees.

Before joining, ask:

• What division does the team play in?
• Where and when does it train?
• What time are matches normally played?
• How far does the team travel?
• Is the squad currently accepting players?
• What are the annual, monthly and match fees?
• Are kit and insurance included?
• Is there more than one team for different ability levels?

How to enter a new team

A new team should contact the league before completing its Liverpool FA affiliation. The league will need to confirm that it has space and that the proposed team is suitable for one of its divisions. Adult teams may affiliate as single-team clubs, while youth clubs must meet additional formation, safeguarding and team-structure requirements.

New clubs will usually need:

• A club secretary
• A suitable home pitch
• Registered players
• Appropriate insurance
• Affiliation with Liverpool County FA
• Qualified welfare staff for youth teams
• League and referee fees
• A kit that doesn't clash with existing teams
• Volunteers able to administer fixtures and registrations

The safest starting point is the Liverpool FA guide to forming a new club.

What this guide doesn't include

This directory concentrates on established Liverpool amateur leagues. It doesn't currently include:

• Commercial 5-a-side and 6-a-side operators
• Informal kickabouts
• School competitions
• University BUCS leagues
• Walking-football sessions
• Summer tournaments
• Cheshire and Warrington leagues
• Semi-professional regional leagues
• Professional academy competitions

Those subjects would be clearer as separate L1Local guides rather than being added to one oversized directory.

Sources

• Liverpool Premier League
• Liverpool Football League (FA Full-Time)
• Merseyrail Business Houses Football League (FA Full-Time)
• South Lancashire Counties Football League (FA Full-Time)
• Merseyside Youth Football League
• North Liverpool Junior Football League
• Liverpool Women's and Youth Football League (FA Full-Time)
• Liverpool County FA Girls League
• Liverpool FA: veterans football
• Liverpool FA: disability football competitions pathway
• Liverpool FA: starting a new football club