- Joined
- Jul 25, 2016
- Messages
- 3,018
- Reaction score
- 2,770
- Age
- 61
As some of you may know, I've played amateur football from aged 17 to 38 (both Saturday and Sunday League every season without break), and then just Saturday's from aged 38 to 52.
I've always been lucky to be fit (never smoked and hardly ever have a drink), and at school I was a county level long distance runner.
At work this year I joined in with the 6 a side they had going ( just playing with other work colleagues), and although I didn't play all the games (missed the first 4), I was lucky enough to be presented with a trophy for the most points won by a player during the time they ran the weekly games - I played 10 games and only played on the losing team once ( team members rotated each week), and as a defender I spent most of the time trying to stop the opponents scoring - the first two games I fell over a few times when I didn't even have the ball (I blame the new trainers I had to buy as I couldn't find my old ones).
Highlights included:
Scoring one goal (after a mazy run and two flukey rebounds), but that was one of my only forays over the halfway line.
Tackling my own player and an opposition player at the same time so I could get to the ball.
Nearly punching a player in the head in my effort to clear the ball in one of the games when I had a stint in goal.
Clattering an opponent because I was running flat out and couldn't stop in time.........I did apologise and tell him I got there as quick as I could....
Clearing the ball off the goal line with my back (don't even know how that happened).
Not bad for a 58 yr old who hadn't kicked a ball for 6 yrs - and looking back at other trophies I won during my playing days, my first one was back in 1977 as a 15 yr old in a five a side tournament I played during the holidays.
So, first trophy won in 1977, and now another won in 2021 - 44 yrs between them!! (I've got about 30 trophies in all).
More importantly is how this recent run of playing football again has really been a morale booster in these difficult times, and that it really helps to relieve stress to play each Friday after work - I hadn't realised this until I started playing, and other work colleagues have also said how much they felt the same way - a real mental health boost.
So I would say to all, if you have stopped playing sport due to age or just life getting in the way, don't dismiss it altogether - you might just find it fun again!!
Now then, let's start training....ready......Up two three, Down two three.........now the other eyelid.......
Steve.
I've always been lucky to be fit (never smoked and hardly ever have a drink), and at school I was a county level long distance runner.
At work this year I joined in with the 6 a side they had going ( just playing with other work colleagues), and although I didn't play all the games (missed the first 4), I was lucky enough to be presented with a trophy for the most points won by a player during the time they ran the weekly games - I played 10 games and only played on the losing team once ( team members rotated each week), and as a defender I spent most of the time trying to stop the opponents scoring - the first two games I fell over a few times when I didn't even have the ball (I blame the new trainers I had to buy as I couldn't find my old ones).
Highlights included:
Scoring one goal (after a mazy run and two flukey rebounds), but that was one of my only forays over the halfway line.
Tackling my own player and an opposition player at the same time so I could get to the ball.
Nearly punching a player in the head in my effort to clear the ball in one of the games when I had a stint in goal.
Clattering an opponent because I was running flat out and couldn't stop in time.........I did apologise and tell him I got there as quick as I could....
Clearing the ball off the goal line with my back (don't even know how that happened).
Not bad for a 58 yr old who hadn't kicked a ball for 6 yrs - and looking back at other trophies I won during my playing days, my first one was back in 1977 as a 15 yr old in a five a side tournament I played during the holidays.
So, first trophy won in 1977, and now another won in 2021 - 44 yrs between them!! (I've got about 30 trophies in all).
More importantly is how this recent run of playing football again has really been a morale booster in these difficult times, and that it really helps to relieve stress to play each Friday after work - I hadn't realised this until I started playing, and other work colleagues have also said how much they felt the same way - a real mental health boost.
So I would say to all, if you have stopped playing sport due to age or just life getting in the way, don't dismiss it altogether - you might just find it fun again!!
Now then, let's start training....ready......Up two three, Down two three.........now the other eyelid.......
Steve.