NI over 60s football team takes on Canadian visitors in special challenge game

Northern Ireland footballers aged over 50 and 60 have welcomed veteran Canadian players to Belfast for a special friendly game.

The NI Veterans football team took on the Canada Legends at the Harland and Wolff Welders Football Club in East Belfast on Thursday.

The NI team was started thanks to the pandemic to provide an outlet for older men to get together and get active with a health and wellbeing focus. The team play regular 7 a side games for over 50s and over 60s.

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The Canadian team have a touring party of 60 people and have been all over the world, but this was the furthest they have travelled for a game.

NI Veterans coordinator Gerry Goodall scored the winner in a 1-0 victory for the over 50s NI team against their Canadian counterparts, while the over 60s NI team also emerged victorious on a scoreline of 5-2.

Gerry says the atmosphere was jovial at the Welders club on Thursday.

“It was heading towards a penalty shootout but I ruined it for them,” Gerry says.

“It went down a treat and there was a few presentations afterwards.

“It was a great event to be honest with you, a team from Canada coming over here, the first international over 60s game we have had here.

“We have been raising funds for Corran Integrated School in Larne so all money raised will be going to them so overall it was a great success.

“We will hopefully be able to return to Canada at some point over the next year as well.”

Gerry, a former Irish league player and coach, was involved in setting up the Veterans team after the pandemic as a way of getting older men into sport again.

“There’s plenty of stuff for young people out there obviously but there was very little for over 50s we thought,” Gerry adds.

“Myself and a few others got together and it just grew from there. It’s open invite, you just turn up and play and anyone is welcome.

“We play matches on Sundays and it’s always a charitable event, whether it by PIPS, Alzheimers or Macmillan.

“It’s just boys playing the game that we love, that’s how it started and it’s just growing.”

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