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Here is a little story from Canberra, Australia about a player who is still playing in his 70's and is now playing for his 50th season. Quite impressive!
Canberra's oldest soccer player David Richards still picking up pace
David Richards only consented to having a pacemaker implanted to fix his irregular heartbeat if the surgeon gave him one guarantee - he could still play soccer. Richards is Canberra's oldest registered soccer player, but the 75-year-old has started his 50th season with a new pair of boots and an extra spring in his step.
"Last year I was playing against over-35s and I was half-a-yard too slow, so I've been going to the gym three times a week, including seeing a personal trainer once a week," Richards says. "This year I'm back in the over-45s. I can tell I'm quicker, I'm getting to balls I couldn't get to before. This year I'm really going to see if I can bang a few goals in. I also bought myself a new pair of boots this year. I remember soccer boots when they were leather with a big nobbly toe caps and sprigs that were nailed in ... you probably needed them too, because the leather balls with laces would get wet and were like kicking a rock."
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released findings this year that showed a 5 per cent decrease in Australians participating in sport over the past two years. The national average of Australian participation is 60 per cent, but the ACT is the most active place in the country with 73 per cent.
It wasn't until Richards arrived in Canberra in 1965 as a "Ten Pound Pom" to work for NASA's Orroral Valley Tracking Station that he discovered a real passion for soccer.
Richards grew up in London during the Blitz in World War II, where kids would play on the streets, using tennis balls and gateposts as goals. But he was 25 before taking the sport up in Canberra.
"I grew up in a tough area of London and when they picked teams, I was left on the sidelines," Richards said. "So I thought soccer was a stupid game and didn't play it until I came to Australia and started playing in the Churches League ... I've never had so many injuries."
Richards is a life member of the Brindabella Blues, making him exempt from registration fees. He pays them anyway, which the club uses to help subsidise fees for disadvantaged kids.
"I get a lot of respect from the players, more than I deserve, they indulge me a bit," he said. "You've got to keep on the move, you seize up like an old machine otherwise. I think that's what happens to older people, they become immobile because their muscles die. There's no reason to quit, I've improved out of sight since I've had this personal trainer, he's doing me a world of good. I truly believe my situation is not going to be an unusual thing in the future. I think you're going to find a lot of people like me, still playing in their later years."
Canberra's oldest soccer player David Richards still picking up pace
David Richards only consented to having a pacemaker implanted to fix his irregular heartbeat if the surgeon gave him one guarantee - he could still play soccer. Richards is Canberra's oldest registered soccer player, but the 75-year-old has started his 50th season with a new pair of boots and an extra spring in his step.
"Last year I was playing against over-35s and I was half-a-yard too slow, so I've been going to the gym three times a week, including seeing a personal trainer once a week," Richards says. "This year I'm back in the over-45s. I can tell I'm quicker, I'm getting to balls I couldn't get to before. This year I'm really going to see if I can bang a few goals in. I also bought myself a new pair of boots this year. I remember soccer boots when they were leather with a big nobbly toe caps and sprigs that were nailed in ... you probably needed them too, because the leather balls with laces would get wet and were like kicking a rock."
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released findings this year that showed a 5 per cent decrease in Australians participating in sport over the past two years. The national average of Australian participation is 60 per cent, but the ACT is the most active place in the country with 73 per cent.
It wasn't until Richards arrived in Canberra in 1965 as a "Ten Pound Pom" to work for NASA's Orroral Valley Tracking Station that he discovered a real passion for soccer.
Richards grew up in London during the Blitz in World War II, where kids would play on the streets, using tennis balls and gateposts as goals. But he was 25 before taking the sport up in Canberra.
"I grew up in a tough area of London and when they picked teams, I was left on the sidelines," Richards said. "So I thought soccer was a stupid game and didn't play it until I came to Australia and started playing in the Churches League ... I've never had so many injuries."
Richards is a life member of the Brindabella Blues, making him exempt from registration fees. He pays them anyway, which the club uses to help subsidise fees for disadvantaged kids.
"I get a lot of respect from the players, more than I deserve, they indulge me a bit," he said. "You've got to keep on the move, you seize up like an old machine otherwise. I think that's what happens to older people, they become immobile because their muscles die. There's no reason to quit, I've improved out of sight since I've had this personal trainer, he's doing me a world of good. I truly believe my situation is not going to be an unusual thing in the future. I think you're going to find a lot of people like me, still playing in their later years."
fair play to the old un, I was knackered and broken by the age of 33 and had to give up