Over 50s Football

In a crazy moment I signed up for this ages ago. Nothing happened because of the virus.

Now they have announced that training begins next Tuesday. I am 59 and haven't kicked a ball in seriousness for about 25 years. Even in my prime footballing years I was far from "all that".

The worrying WhatsApp group is full of people saying they're 47 and enjoy playing right sided midfield and such. They sound a bit competitive and keen. I was just hoping for a bit of a fun gentle kickabout.

Have any comrades got any experience of grandad footballing? I'm going to get embarrassed aren't I?

 

Volunteer for the right back position, explain you are 59, the others will be fine with you, don’t worry about completing the match, better to live another day and look forward to the next game! Good luck!

 

Warm up like your life depends on it. Stretch everything.

 

Everything?

 

Kick the first person to cross your path and do lots of pointing and shouting.

 

Is it walking football or "normal"?

 

More importantly, can you play left back?

 

Normal I think, but walking for me maybe...

 

I had to stop playing competitive footy about 25 years ago because of a serious injury, then about 12 years ago I was having some personal problems and a friend talked me into playing on a 5 aside pitch usually at least 8 aside, it’s officially a vets match but a few youngsters play now and again, i am prob the worst player on the pitch, second worst at best, the game is only an hour but the drink after is at least 2 hours, it has a great social side, 90% of the players get the spirit right, I would defo give it a go, what’s the worse that can happen, so important to warm up, as injuries take forever to repair at this age to heel, you will feel like you have been 10 rounds with Mike Tyson the next day, have fun

 

Just do what Troy does.
And as the senior player, make sure you leave a mark on the game by taking any penalties.

 

But only very slightly so nothing snaps.

 

I’d love to play 5 aside again at 57 but the chance of me getting through an hour without a pull or a strain, knackering my knee or back are sub 10% so I’m holding off.

 

I’m 39, sadly gave up football quite early relatively speaking at around 33, used to play 11 aside on the weekend and five aside in the week. I rolled my ankle a few times over the years and then I did it again in relatively quick succession, ending up on crutches for 6 weeks. Basically it was ****ed, once healed I could still play but I could no longer risk being out of action when it inevitably happened again.

Anyway, played football for the first time since last year with work, bloody hell I felt like I was actually ill for two days afterwards. My brain also knew what to do but my legs wouldn’t do it. I’m physically fit, but not playing at all for five+ years was an absolute killer.

Basically warm up a lot and don’t get frustrated that your body won’t do what your mind tells it to do!

 

Wow! That is a perfect description of what has happened to me in a few vain attempts at comebacks.

 

We'd face the odd old fart at elms 5 a side. It was awful, you couldn't tackle them properly for fear of breaking them and it ruined the match. It was like playing against a woman.

 

Erk, it's tomorrow evening. A 4G astroturf pitch I understand. I am absolutely kakking it, I don't mind admitting.

Unfortunately my old Winfield 'Hat Trick' boots have gone a bit mildewey after being in the shed for a quarter of a century. I have had to buy some more. I could only afford the cheapest reduced to clear of course and anyway, who knows if they may only get three mins of action before being sent to the charity shop next week anyway. They don't do normal black ones anymore. These are the brightest of BRIGHT yellow with some lurid blue down the side. Lovely. Very modest.

Tried 'em on and they're much tighter than my usual tartan slippers...

 

Flash git.

 

Clive is Gavin Mahon? It all makes sense now.

 

Ha! I remember him, he looked like a hard *******. Like a builder you’d have round for a quote and you’d immediately start worrying about how you’d say ‘no thanks’ if he turns out to be too expensive.

 

I hope the team isn't as Harpenden centric as the Herts over 50s county team is Clive.
Like gathering of Burgess,McClean etc with all the ex Oxbridge ladies.
See ball,kick ball.

 

So what happened? No update suggests you lost a leg at the very least.

 

You'd better be good if you're wearing boots like that!

 

First of all, let me tell you about the mental picture I had before I went.

You know those fatty old blokes who have a bald head, except for a thin ring of white hair? Well I was expecting the other players to be like that, with a stripy football shirt stretched over a big belly. I pictured myself easily outpacing the lumbering baldie fatso and chuckling to myself. Ha! I chortled in my imagination....Ha ha ha!

So I arrived and its a crowded car park in front of a long row of astroturf pitches under floodlights. This first session was billed as 'training', so I'd also imagined there would be a little light stretching, perhaps some running in and out of cones etc for 10 mins first. But no.

As the worryingly young and fit looking players show up, we punt a ball about between us for 2 mins, then they distribute bibs and we're off into a full-blooded 100% commitment match. It pished down for the whole (non-stop) 45 mins too, so the ball was skidding off the top and the game was really quick.

I played left back and more or less held my own, but only just. Played one or two nice passes forward (if I say so myself) but got easily skinned and outpaced one time and he smashed in a cracker off the underside of the bar. It was hard, hard going though.

I lasted OK - I've been doing some running and home exercising for a few months now - but to show how serious it is, a one point I was shielding the ball out for a goal kick and the forward gave me a real shove in the back that sent me flying. I put my hand out when I went down and although I didn't realise it at the time, did some damage to my wrist. It sounds bad, but they were nice enough comrades from what I saw, they just took it very, very seriously.

The next day, the wrist was all swollen up and because my job needs quite a lot of manual handling and hoisting it was hurting like hell so I went to Boots to get a bandage or something, but the pharmacist made me go to the hospital for x-ray, so that was problems. I'm still on light duties now, so missing out on some earning.

Meanwhile, the WhatsApp group chat has revealed that quite a few of these are in their early to mid 40s and are ex-Hellenic League players who know each other. We will enter the Oxfordshire Over 50s Premier League. It's noted that 3 under 50s are allowed on the pitch under the rules. We will play a friendly against the local first team. We will use the excess from the subs to go on a lads weekend pish up in Blackpool or Benidorm. Training will be Tuesdays and Saturday afternoons in preparation for a match on Sunday morning. And so on and so forth.

This week I didn't go. I don't know what I'd say to the bosses if I did my wrist worse or got some other injury. It isn't what I imagined at all. I wanted a little fun kick around and light hearted jog with an eye on keeping fit and active.

I am very much in two minds whether to go any more. I am the eldest by about 5 years and others there have at least 15 years on me. It's obviously a really good vigorous workout (tiger balm on the back of the legs for two days after!) but it just seems a bit too serious for me. Also, I was the only one there with Day-Glo yellow boots...

 

Sounds like walking football might be the way forward.

 

Have you considered crown green bowls?

In all seriousness it sounds ideal for me. I used to play 5-aside until I screwed my knees and ankles up. They used to call me "The Bulldozer". I managed to push a chap nearly twice my size out of a fire escape once whilst challenging for the ball. I'm a good stone heavier now so could do some real damage.

 

Ivic was all for it by the look of it.

 

I've been tempted to start playing 5 aside again, recapturing my old nickname of "the Rock" with my Tony Adams-esque performances from years gone by but was worried this was what I would find. Having read your "match report" I will be throwing the boots away for good. Walking football doesn't appeal. Presumably everyone just runs really slowly and claims they are walking ?

 

I just started walking football recently. It's still competitive, with lots of sneaky running, but the tempo is much more manageable for over fifties.

It's competitive to a degree and the standard is high, with quite a few former county level players but nobody takes it too seriously.

I'd totally recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to hang their boots up yet but find a full game a bit too much of a strain.

 

Rugby league has a good system for old farts.
People wear different coloured shorts according to their age group. The youngsters can run and tackle where as the older folks have to walk or it's touch tackling only.

Saw an exhibition game at the world cup and it was entertaining. Wrong code though, obviously.

 

At your age "holding midfielder"
Just sit in front of the two lazy lumps behind you who think
that they are Rio and Vidic.
Let the "youngsters" do the running and just concentrate
on looking like you know what you are doing by getting a toe
in every now and again. Flap your arms about and shout a lot
and you won't go far wrong !

 

I don't get why English people have to be so competitive all the time, I really don't. Why is it so important to win all the time? I think it shows off a very fragile ego. It really puts me off.

One of my Portuguese friends in Gloucester got together with other Portuguese and Brazilians living around there and formed a team. They entered Division 6 or whatever of the local league. He told me that they won the league at a canter and were to be promoted, but decided instead to disband the team and just go back to having a regular kick about amongst themselves. Too much kicking and spitting and aggression from the other teams who seemed to think they're playing a series of World Cup finals instead of the minorist of minor insignificant unspectated Sunday league kickabouts.

 

I think there are different types of "competitive".

The "lads" I play with have the balance about right imo. There is no moaning or sniping when someone makes a mistake. And the results are forgotten almost as soon as the games are done.

But while we're playing we all give it a proper go. There is a lot of laughing and bantz during the game but we do all want to win or at least put in a "decent" performance. What ever level you play at, there is no better feeling than putting a decent passing move together that ends up in a goal.

There is certainly no aggression, spitting or kicking going on. In fact the rules for walking football prevent a lot of things like sliding tackles (you can't go to ground at all) or any kind of overly physical tackling.

Imo it actually creates a more skillful and controlled type of football.

Like I say, if you don't get on with the physicality, competitive and fitness levels within "running" football anymore, I would definitely give walking football a go. It's great for your social life too!

 

In your shoes, (yellow day-glo boots), I wouldn't go back. I play with my workmates whenever we can get 10+ of us out together and we just rotate the teams each time. It's lightly competitive but fantastic for keeping fit. I'm by far the oldest but the only one who regularly runs so I can still be going strong when the youngsters are wheezing.

I think what you need Clive is a group of 10-14 that just plays together regularly to keep fit. No leagues but enough competitiveness to keep you moving for an hour or so.
I'd also be up for something like that.

 

That is how it is for me. We have 2 groups (some of us are in both) who play on Tuesdays and Thursdays 5 or 6 a side. Many different standards of ability but it’s all about going out and having a bit of competitive fun between mates.
Just a case of making sure the teams are suitably balanced to reflect the ability levels.

 

yes me too