The sound of whistles, soccer balls, and excitement filled the fields at the Wheatland Athletic Association for the 16th year of the Days of Glory tournament. Hosted by the local Half Century Club on August 1-2, players 50 and older kicked it off on the pitch, proving the game isn’t defined by age, but by passion.
“Our club takes anybody from 45 and up, and we have over 300 members. We started with six 25 years ago, when we were all too old for the over-30 and -35 leagues, and we started an over-50 league, and it’s been a ball. “And WAA has been a big supporter of us, and we’re part of the reason why we have this beautiful facility,” said Half Century Club President Edward Sabin.
Age is just a number for these soccer standouts
Approaching its second decade, the Days of Glory tournament features 17 teams from around the United States, split across three age brackets, with groups ages 50 to 59, 60 to 67, and 68 and older. As more and more members continue to play the game, the club is looking to expand age range brackets even further for upcoming tournaments.
“In the future, what we would like to do is open more divisions to accommodate the age limits that everybody has, and hopefully we can reach those limits that people think are not reachable,” said Days of Glory Tournament Director Al Tineo.
Days of Glory sported a new look this year. With rain the rain flooding the grass fields throughout Saturday, the club took advantage of the facility’s two brand new turf fields, making it safer for players to trek the conditions for the tournament’s second day.
“That was a challenge yesterday when the rain came, and the night before, and it flooded the grass facilities, and so we had to reschedule every game, and thanks to the fact that the drainage on this facility, the turf facility, is so good that we were able to put the games out there,” said Tineo.
Tineo hopes the new playing surfaces will become a beacon to attract more members and teams for years to come.
“The idea that now we have two grass fields, two facilities over here in the turf fields, one indoor, gives me the opportunity to expand and invite more teams,” said Tineo.
A chance for families to enjoy the action
The tournament allowed the weekend warriors to show their skills for the fans in attendance, including younger soccer players like Thanya Castelan and her brother, who come to Days of Glory every year to watch their father continue to play the game he loves.
“It’s very inspiring; my brother and I both played soccer, and I still play, but watching him play is very fun because it’s kind of where we grew to love soccer,” said Thanya Castelan. “He’s never stopped playing a day in his life. So it’s very normal for us to come and watch him play.”
Teams come back year-after-year
While teams chased after championship trophies, the opportunity for teamwork and camaraderie was on full display. Players from across the country expanded their friendships on and off the field.
“The teams from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and individuals come from all over that have retired and moved away to California, or Texas, or Colorado, and they can’t wait to come back and play with us, keeps us all in touch and absolutely gives us things to look forward to,” said Sabin.
And competing on the pitch also keeps them in tune with themselves, breaking past physical barriers that may come with age.
“You keep reading these things about how the average American typically doesn’t make it to 80 or longer, and I think it’s because people don’t do these things like this, and I encourage everybody to do something like this,” said Sabin.
“I always ask those players that are 85 and older, what is the solution for me to get to that age, and it’s like, keep playing, keep that positive attitude, despite the fact that we have many illnesses and a lot of people have limitations when you get to our age, but despite that they continue to do so,” said Tinio.
For NCTV17 Sports, I’m Matt Lauterbach.
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