Congratulations to Wales o70s and o75s vets teams

Football is fantastic and knows no age - was the slogan of the 4th International World Cup 70+, played last week in Roskilde, Denmark.

This year 14 teams played for the unofficial world championship for players over 70 and 9 teams for the o75s. Wales Veterans’ Football entered the tournament for the first time and sent twenty-eight players along with a handful of supporters to take on teams from Denmark, England, USA, Canada, Germany and New Zealand.

Wales o70s lost their first match 1-0 against CT United from the USA but drew 1-1 in their second game against NC United East, also from the USA. In their third game they defeated the hosts Frem, Copenhagen FC 2-0. They went on to meet Germany in the quarters but lost 1-0 despite having 90% possession in the game. They comfortably defeated West Coast of the USA in the play-offs to claim a creditable fifth place in the tournament. Team captain Handley Brustad of Newport Vets said: “Every game was keenly contested but there was a real emphasis on sportsmanship.”

The over 75s claimed a bronze medal for their endeavours after being narrowly knocked-out in the semi-finals. Manager, Hedley Austin, said: ‘The team gelled as we got used to the 5-a-side format and we ended up just two wins short of claiming the cup.’

Congratulations to everyone involved.