I've watched two episodes of this and I am completely hooked. What's that, you don't have Sky? Basically each Prem team is represented in a 7-a-side tournament by a squad of ten players: four former greats (e.g. Ruud Gullit for Chelsea, Nayim for Spurs), three celebrity fans (e.g. Angus Deayton for Man U) and three everyday fans (one below 25, one 25-40, one 40+). 20mins each way, with lots of bizarre, Twenty20-esque innovations - the ball is dropped from a chute for kickoffs, goals count double in the last minute of each half, there is a sin bin, or in fact a "cooler" for anyone who receives a "blue card", which, excellently, looks like a cryogenic chamber, complete with dry ice - it's basically fucking brilliant.
What makes it is, of course, the everyday fans. I saw the build-up programme where they all had a trial to represent their clubs (Neil Warnock made the selections). It clearly meant so much to them. And judging on the two matches i watched last night, the fans seem to have the biggest impact on the game, as they are all decent Sunday league players, and are insanely excited to be wearing the club colours. The most important goal scored for Spurs last night came not from Nayim, but from a Billingsgate fish porter. Despite resembling the film Dodgeball, Premier League All Stars is more innocent and pure than the Premier League itself.
Anyway they're giving away free tickets and I'm going to get some. Seriously. 7pm, either Thursday or Saturday. It's in the Docklands, goes on for about three hours I think. Anyone up for it?
UPDATE
I have three tix for Thursday night - it's at the David Beckham Academy just near North Greenwich tube. FC, FS.
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