Match Maradona’s Hand of God in Specsavers search for Best Worst Team

The hunt is on again for Devon’s Best Worst Team to be in with a chance of starring in a national campaign.

Each year Specsavers searches for the worst amateur football team to be trained by some top-flight football experts.

The chosen team will take centre stage in the campaign, with cameras rolling to document every triumph, near-miss and hilarious moment throughout the 2025/26 season on YouTube.

This comes as Specsavers latest poll shows that 65% of the region’s football fans think Diego Maradona’s infamous Hand of God is the most ‘Sunday League’ moment to ever happen on a football pitch.

According to the poll, the infamous act against England in 1986 was followed by Luis Suárez’s inexplicable bite on Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, and David Beckham’s red card for kicking out at Diego Simeone in 1998.

The research found that 69% of respondents in the region believe these memorable moments are part of what makes football iconic, even if they are unfair. In addition, 29% prefer football when it is unpredictable and chaotic, as opposed to 27% who would rather a fair and structured contest.

The study also revealed that many amateur players had experienced their own horrors on the football pitch, with 18% enduring a Ronnie Rosenthal-style open goal blunder.

Nearly as many – 14% – had wildly celebrated a goal, only to realise it had actually been ruled out, while 10% of goalies have let in an absolute howler and were left lying on the ground wishing it would open to swallow them.

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It is precisely these relatable grassroots blunders - from missing crucial passes due to poor eyesight, to not hearing the referee’s whistle - that inspire Specsavers Best Worst Team initiative, a hunt for a grassroots team in most need of a helping hand.

The lucky winners can look forward to incredible once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will have them feeling like Premier League stars.

Last year, Specsavers helped Somerset side Tunley Athletic, and now it’s time for another team to experience a season like no other.

This season, Specsavers is ready to work miracles once again, armed with top-tier talent and a fresh batch of optimism for the UK’s pluckiest underdogs.

Teams wanting to apply to be the Best Worst Team, or anyone wanting to nominate a team, can go online at www.specsavers.co.uk/best-worst-team