I can remember back in the mid eighties that the adult division of the Cardiff and District League had six divisions, with about 20 teams in each, I think the Combination League had similar numbers, yet today, I think that there are only three divisions in the District League with about 12 teams in each, I presume the Combination has seen it's numbers dwindle. The question is, why? Football seems more popular now than ever, wall to wall coverage, The game producing superstars, yet the number of young-ish men playing football on a Saturday has dropped immeasurably.

What are the factors behind this? is it the loss of industry and manufacturing, jobs taken by working class men which created a Community, hence the social side which included sport? Has the roll of a man changed due to different working conditions and time scales, and more women returning to work? Is it a lack of Community, People becoming more transient and not mixing within a Community, the loss of the local pub, where men would meet up and organise games, fixtures etc. It's an interesting subject, i'm sure that plenty on here have played local football over the years, what's your thoughts?