BBC NEWS | UK | Football leagues ban for under-8s
I agree 100% with this, although I do hope that this doesn't affect summer tournaments which are great fun. But running league tables and playing for results every week rather than developing players technque is one of our biggest problems in the UK.
It might also lead to improved spectator behaviour when the results don't matter!
I think U9, or even U10, is the right age to start playing in leagues.