Plucky pensioners still getting their kicks

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If his more "mature" teammates are something to go by, Nomura may easily have another decade on the pitch: the oldest player, Shingo Shiozawa, is 93.

"If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead by now," said the former designer of racing cars, who plays goalie.

He credits the sport with motivating him to quit smoking and helping to speed his recovery after treatment for spinal stenosis.

With an average age of 83 1/2, however, stiff backs, creaky knees and labored breathing were often on display as the players of the three SFL teams slogged through inaugural matches under a blazing sun last month.

A ball propelled forward by a player failed to reach his slow-moving teammate, while a few stumbled and wobbled on the pitch. An 89-year-old who ran out of breath asked to be substituted about 10 minutes into a match, unable to play the rest of the 15-minute half.

After the game, Nomura and his teammates toasted their prowess with cans of beer, in a ritual familiar to many younger players.

Despite decades of watching Nomura play soccer, his wife, Junko, says she's not concerned about injuries — only his high blood pressure, which she logs everyday in a notebook, along with his activities and meals.

"He likes to eat meat, so I try to get him to eat vegetables," she said of Nomura, who started playing soccer in middle school and won the national tournament three times in university.

"I think soccer is the best thing for his health."

Far from slowing down, Nomura has also taken to kicking the ball around with his daughter and granddaughter on weekends, teaching them tricks and building their love of the game.

"I sometimes go to watch the seniors play, and it makes me feel I should work hard," said his 48-year-old daughter, Yuriko.

"I really admire him. I hope to be like him, and continue playing when I'm older."

Reuters