Ben Mee, Joleon Lescott, Ciaran Clark and more — Baller League UK Season 4 is welcoming a wave of former professionals. Here is who is arriving and where they fit.

Ex-pros are flocking to the Baller League

One of the clearest trends heading into Season 4 is the number of former professionals moving into the 6v6 game. The Baller League has always blended celebrities and serious footballers, but this season’s intake leans further than ever towards players who have competed at the top of the English and Scottish games. Here is a rundown of the notable arrivals, and why they matter.

The marquee signing: Ben Mee

Ben Mee is the headline addition. The former Burnley captain and Premier League defender came out of retirement to join Deportrio, and his arrival was covered widely in the national press. A Manchester City academy product who spent more than a decade in the top flight with Burnley and Brentford, Mee brings leadership, reading of the game and genuine physicality to a compact format. Read his player profile.

Deportrio’s veteran back line

Mee is not the only experienced head at Deportrio. He joins forces with Joleon Lescott, the former Manchester City and England defender and a two-time Premier League winner. Together they form one of the most experienced defensive partnerships in the competition.

Deportrio’s squad is stacked with former pros further forward too. Striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, an Arsenal academy graduate who went on to play for Bristol City, QPR and Gillingham, has been one of the Baller League’s most prolific scorers. He is joined by Marvin Sordell, a former Watford, Bolton Wanderers and Burnley forward and a Great Britain Olympian at London 2012, and by well-travelled striker Martyn Waghorn, formerly of Leicester City and Rangers. See their profiles: Emmanuel-Thomas · Sordell · Waghorn.

Strengthening across the league

The ex-pro trend is not limited to one club.

  • P17 FC have added Ciaran Clark, the former Aston Villa and Newcastle United centre-back and a Republic of Ireland international — profile.
  • VZN can call on Terell Thomas, an Antigua and Barbuda international defender with English Football League experience — profile.
  • RTG FC have brought in the combative midfielder Calum Butcher, a former Tottenham youth player who built his career in Scotland and the lower English leagues — profile.

Why former pros suit the 6v6 game

The Baller League’s format rewards exactly the qualities that define a good professional: sharp decision-making, technical security under pressure and the ability to read a game. Add the small-sided chaos of the Game Changers — including the one-on-one window and the double-value goals of The Line — and elite experience becomes a genuine edge.

For the players themselves, it is a chance to keep competing in front of a big audience without the week-to-week grind of the professional game. For the league, it is a signal of growing credibility: the Baller League is now a destination, not just a novelty.

Where to see them first

All of the above are expected to feature across Season 4, which begins on 12 October 2026. Keep track of squads on our teams hub and each player’s stats on the players hub, where goals, assists and appearances update after every gameweek. For the full season picture, head to the Season 4 hub.