Most professional footballers will retire around their mid-30s, but Mosborough’s Silver Foxes, an over-60s football team, are proving that love of the game has no expiration date.
Over a hundred men have joined the Foxes’ ranks since the team’s formation in 2019, and it’s been transformative for its members’ mental health.
Organiser Dave York said: “I think it’s been a massive influence on a lot of people’s lives.
“We’ve got people with serious illnesses, people who have suffered bereavements and so forth, and when we speak to them they always say how helpful this group has been to them.”
Playing with the Silver Foxes has had plenty of benefits for its members’ physical health, too: player Tony Cronshaw told us: “I was about six stone heavier when I first started, and if I fell down it would take about six of them to pick me up!
“But coming here three times a week – I was getting lighter, I was getting a bit faster, and it’s done me the world of good.”
As well as playing amongst themselves, the group have played friendly matches against teams from as far away as Plymouth, and have even competed in other countries, once playing in a spring tournament in Portugal.
There are even some international footballers in their ranks, with 5 players being capped for England at over-60s level.
Despite this, chairman Glen Kay was quick to stress that not all members need to be world-beaters: “It’s as easy or as competitive as you want it to be. Some guys are quite happy to come along and just play for the enjoyment of playing, but some of the guys have got a competitive nature.”
To make the club as inclusive as possible, the group is divided into three subgroups, based on ability and fitness level – walking, strolling, and standard 11-a-side football.
