Countdown to Season 43

We have 11 days left before we launch Season 43 of Golden Goals and we have once again kept the entry fee at just £8 (UK).

The Competition first started way back in 1983 and has built up a regular fan base on average 89 players per season. Last season we had our 7th highest number of entries with a grand total of 114, but our record stands at 149 in the 2017/18 Season so we looking at 150+ for this season.

As we have said before, that’s it’s not an easy task to pick three teams that could make you our 43^rd Champion but that is how football goes. As always it’s first come, first served so it’s important to get your teams in as quick as you can. The entry forms will be available from Monday 7th July 2025. 

You can e-mail me here at goldengoals1983@gmail.com to find out more about the competition rules. 

Start Dates 2025/26 Season

The English Premier League will start on the 15/16th August. The Championship will start on the 8/10 August, League One will start on the 1/3 of August. League Two 2 August. The League (Carabao) Cup preliminary round starts on the 4th August.  

The Scottish leagues will all start their games on the 1/3rd August with no mid-season break for the Premiership once again. The League cup first round starting on 11/12 July.

Carabao Cup Changes for 2025/26 Season

The 2025/26 Carabao Cup will include a preliminary round for the first time, to accommodate the increased number of Premier League clubs playing in European competitions next season.

A total of 9 top-flight sides are set to play in European competitions next season, prompting the change to help reduce the number of clubs in the first two rounds. 

The preliminary round will feature the two sides promoted from the National League, Barnet and Oldham have now to compete in a preliminary round in order to qualify for the first round. The perliminary round will start from the week commencing 4 August and will be in their separated regionally groups, which is now normal with the competition's early rounds.

All EFL clubs, other than the two eliminated in the preliminary round, will participate in round one of the competition.

Coming Soon

With last season finished, it is now time for me to start preparing for Season 43 and getting it up and running, and it will soon be time for you to start thinking about your three teams.

This unique competition has now been running for 42 consecutive seasons and with 43 just around the corner, Golden Goals has stood the test of time. The competition first started way back in 1983 and has built up a regular fan base of a round 89 players per season but we would like to add more, much more. We would like to beat our top season with 149 players from the 2017/18 Season.

It’s not an easy task to pick three teams that could make you our 43rd Champion, but that’s how football goes. As always it’s first come, first served so it’s important to get your teams in as quickly as you can once the form comes out. 

How does the competition work? Well you have to do is pick three football teams here in the UK from any English or Scottish league’s or you can mix up your choice from the two countries. Once you have picked the three team’s and sent them in to me via your entry form with the entry fee, these teams will be unique to you, as no-one else will have your teams. These three teams could make you our 43rd Champion by scoring as many goals as they can.  Where do these goals come from? They will come from any league games, and from the two English and Scottish domestic cup competitions.

We will have prize money throughout the season, and if you have been following last seasons blog entries then you will know what I mean.  Each week I will send you a News Sheet via email which will tell you where you are in our table and how your teams are doing. Once the deadline date has passed, you will not be able to join in.

Even if you just look at the simple rules and decide not to join in, there will be no pressure to join Golden Goals. We have had over 192,527 hits on our blog and it would be really great if some of you could get together and represent your family or even better your country. You can e-mail me (Steve) here at goldengoals1983@gmail.com to find out more about the competition.

Our Top 20 Champions

  NAME                                             M/W     W/E   TOTAL   SEASON 

1. L. KING                                        116        239      355       2001/02

2. P. DAVEY                                      132        216      348       2013/14

3. J. WOOD                                         92        252      344       2016/17

4. C. STEPHENS (Miss)                     97        244       341      2024/25

5. M. PEPPERRELL                           91        247       338      2002/03

6. J. WOOD (Mrs)                              94        241        335      2021/22

7. T. GUY                                            95       240        335      2022/23

8. C. BOLBERY                                 95       239        334      2017/18

9. D. SOMERVILLE                          95       237        332      2009/10

10. K. STRATTON (Mrs)                 104      227        331      2018/19

11. B. CLARK                                  121      210        331      2019/20

12. J. FILTNESS/A. HAMMOND   117      211        328      2023/24

13. P. CHRISTOPHER                     123     204        327      1983/84

14. I. SWEENEY                              100     226        326     1985/86

15. T. PATMAN                                  89     233        322     1999/00

16. A. STUBBS (Miss)                      80      238        318     2012/13

17. J. CONWAY (Mrs)                       97     221        318     2000/01

18. J. CONWAY (Mrs)                     113     199        312     1996/97

19. P. LOCKER/E. DRAPER            79     232        311     1998/99

20. T. BICKNELL                            126    185        311      2014/15

Golden Goals Highest Goals Total

CELTIC holds the record for the highest number of goals scored at the end of a season with 144 goals set in the 2024/25 Season.  In that season they had played a total of 47 league/cup games which gave them an average score of 3 goals per game. They picked up just three blank score sheets and had a total of  40 votes.

Celtic started in our very first season of 1983/84 where they finished on a score of 116 goals. They were our 2nd voted Scottish team. They have scored 100 or more goals in 23 of their 42 seasons played. Over the seasons they netted a total of 4205 goals which gives them an average score of 100 goals per season.

Oldham and Barnet Promoted to League Two

National League Champions Barnet, return to League Two after seven seasons of non-league football. Barnet have  appeared in five seasons with Golden Goals. They became our 81st voted English team when they first appeared in the 1992/93 season. finishing on a total of 69 goals which turned out to be their highest end of season goals total. Last time that we had Barnet was back in the 2005/06 season where they finished on a total of 51 goals. In the five seasons they netted a total of 306 goals which gives them an average score of 61 goals per season. 

Oldham Athletic are back in the EFL League Two, after they won 3-2 against Southend United in extra time in the National League Promotion Play-off final at Wembley. Oldham became our 19th voted English team back in the 1988/89 season on where they finished on a total of 81 goals. In the following season they finished with their highest total goals with 110. The last time that appeared in Golden Goals was in the 2019/20 season and finished on a total of 48 goals. They have been in ten seasons with us and scored a total of 682 goals. That gives them an average score of 68 goals per season.