Getting your mates together and entering a team into a competitive league is a rite of passage for most of us. And currently living that dream are a group of lads from Milton Keynes, who have formed a 6-a-side team by the name of De Jong Boys.
They’re active on twitter (@DeJongBoys1 if you want to give them a follow) and we thought we’d see exactly what they’re all about.
What’s your story- what brought you guys together as a 6-a-side team?
We came together as a group of mates looking to catch up with each other while we are back from University in the summer, with our team being spread across the country, and one being in America too!
Before University most of us played for the same Sunday League team, and we’ve all been a close group of mates since we were very young. We’ve only recently set up De Jong Boys, and we’ve all been football lovers for really all our lives.
De Jong Boys in action – in Dutch orange, naturally
Where in the world are you, and what competition are you playing in?
We are based in Milton Keynes, with our players all based local to the area, and we currently play in the Leisure Leagues 6 a-side Tuesday League.
Tactically, how do you try to set up your team for games?
When turning up for our first game, we had originally planned to play a 1-3-1 formation, of course with someone in goal too. However, we were amazed at the size of the pitch and just how big it was compared to what we were expecting.
This formation slowly changed to a 2-2-1, as we felt it was important to be more defensive because of how dangerous we found the oppositions counter attacks. This formation isn’t set in stone, and when we play its very fluid, with the midfield filling in spaces where we see best fit.
If you’re playing 6-a-side, check out our tactics guide here, for more ideas: 6-a-side tactics.
What are your biggest challenges as a team?
Our biggest challenges so far has been organisation. Being a group of 19 year old boys, we aren’t blessed with the greatest organisational skills.
Sorting out shirts for the lads was a chore, and making sure everyone was free on the day of the league was also difficult. With most of our boys having jobs now too, commitment was always going to be an issue.
Is this a run, pass or shot? It’s anyone’s guess…
Have you got any tips for other people playing 6-a-side or looking to get into it?
If we were to give any tips into running a successful team it would be to create interest around it. Creating a social media page has been the best idea we have had so far, as it keeps the boys interest in it. Also not to take it too seriously and have a bit of fun with it.
Our twitter page @dejongboys1 was created as a bit of a banter between the boys, but since we have set it up we’ve seen a large amount of interest in it from people who we lost contact with throughout secondary school. The page was originally planned to be a private account, with only access granted to the boys, but since setting it up we’ve decided to keep it public as it’s a great laugh to keep any people interested updated on what we’re doing!
De Jong Boys Twitter
What’s the plan for the future?
Our plans for the future is to hopefully win the league this year, while continuing to have fun with the Twitter page. The reason we all decided to set up the team was just to have a bit of fun, while getting in some exercise to keep us fit!
Thanks for reading
Thanks to De Jong Boys for coming forward for an interview. Hopefully they will march to glory in their current league campaign.
If you want to see more features on real teams, let us know in the comments below. Better still, if you want your team featured on this site, get in touch – Twitter is probably the best way to do it!
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