When Soccer Six was the perfect Christmas present for football fans

The best thing about Christmas 30 years ago was the existence of a televised six-a-side tournament

By Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog

Different times of the year bring to mind the various sporting events I enjoyed in my childhood. The new year means Eric Bristow winning another World Darts Championship; freshly cut grass in April evokes the FA Cup semi-finals; Easter equals the Masters at Augusta; and, oddly, December transports me to the G-Mex Centre in Manchester.

At this time of year in the 1980s, a football tournament shown on Sportsnight signified that the countdown to Christmas had begun. This indoor six-a-side event, which was contested by the top clubs in the country, was completely different to anything I had seen before. Soccer Six was the talk of the playground.

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