Football Veterans Alive And Kicking at NZ Masters Games

Football Veterans Alive And Kicking at New Zealand Masters Games

Football is one of the most popular sports at the New Zealand Master Games with the three day competition in Dunedin this year drawing 41 teams with competitors aged from 35yrs to 74 yrs old.

Tracy Fleet, Football South’s Game Development and Operations Manager and organiser for the Masters Games competition, says it’s a sport where men and women can keep playing to an older age and they all love the social aspect of the Masters.

“Every two years in Dunedin the Masters Games becomes something of a reunion for many of these teams and players. They really enjoy coming down here, enjoying each other’s company and sharing stories over a few beers.”

The Spotswood Old Boys are in Dunedin for their eight time at the Masters. A mixture of Aussies and Kiwis, the team dates back to 1997, when ten of them played in their original Spotswood team in Melbourne. They have had careers in the defence forces and at one time many were stationed at Wigram outside of Christchurch where they became affiliated with the Halswell Football Club and now draw team members from ex Halswell players. Fittingly they are staying in Dunedin at the Naval Reserve. The team have Hawaiian shirts for their post-match attire, these are dry cleaned and bagged after every Games and only surface at their next Masters Games outing.

Terence Courtney the teams’ spokesman says they love coming to Dunedin for the city’s hospitality and the fabulous entertainment in the Games Village.

A contingent of 42 people, players and supporters, has come from Toowoomba in Queensland. They are fielding two men’s teams. Their female supporters are called ‘The Hooters’ and live up to their name making as much noise as possible on the side-line. Toowoomba is Wanganui’s sister city, and after competing at the NZ Masters Games in Wanganui in 2013, this social football club has spent three years saving to come to Dunedin.

The Toowoomba Oldies have brought their own strapper and masseuse and their own ‘paparazzi’; Lorraine took 11,000 photos at the Wanganui Games.

The Kiwi Masters are shaping up to be one of the teams with a higher level of aptitude for the game. It’s made up of players from all over the country and includes two ex All Whites’, Mike McGarry and Noel Barkley, and someone known for his fancy footwork, former Dancing with the Stars winner Shane Cortese. The Kiwi Masters are heading for a semi-final tomorrow in the 45+ division.

Tracy Fleet says each team plays at least five games over the three days and with many players being somewhat less than at their prime the game can be hard yakker on their bodies.

“Many are sore all weekend but a bit of the liquid amber raises the spirits.”

The Masters Games Football competition ends tomorrow in Dunedin.

ENDS

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