The Half Century Club, made up of local soccer players aged 50 and older who play weekly at the Wheatland Athletic Association, returned for its 13th annual Days of Glory Soccer Tournament. 19 teams from across the country competed in the two day event at the WAA facility in Aurora as the event continues to grow with 38 different countries represented by the participating players.
The Days of Glory tournament continues to welcome new players and teams
“We started this club about 22 years ago. Our guys were my friends and myself were turning 50 mid-fifties and we were tired of playing 30-year-olds. So we started the Half Century Club. Then we started with about six guys 22 years ago, and we’re up to well over 250 today. We have our annual [Days of Glory] tournament. People are here from all over the Midwest, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa and we’re up to 19 teams,” explained Half Century Club President Edward Sabin.
“So last year we had 17 teams and this year we have 19 teams. So we have been able to grow because we are getting older. That division of the 60 and the 65 and there are some participants over here that are 80,” said Days of Glory organizer Al Tineo.
“We have a lot of ex-high school and college players who want to continue the sport and they look forward to it. I’ve had many people tell me, thank goodness we do this because there’s a lot of stress at my job or at home and it relieves that stress,” added Sabin.
A chance to keep playing with athletes of a similar age
One of those former collegiate players is Wheatland Athletic Association Facilities Manager Magno Barreto, who came from Brazil to play collegiate soccer in Alabama before moving to the area. The Half Century Club provided an opportunity and motivation for players like Magno and others like him, to stay active and continue to play the game they love.
“When I turned 50, then I started playing with them and I’ve been playing with them for a couple of years now. When I started, one of the things that I was always looking forward to was to participate, because as you get older, we only have men’s open and adult leagues in the facility. The HCC gives the opportunity to keep playing after 50, you know, and now we can still enjoy playing this beautiful game,” said WAA Facilities Manager Magno Barreto. “And now with everybody that’s your own age so you don’t have to chase young kids!”
“I’ve been playing soccer with some of these guys since 1979. I think that’s over 40 years with the same guys. We’ve been kicking it around. We started at DePaul, now we’re playing out here in the western suburbs and, you know, we’re still playing. That’s the miracle of all this,” said participant Gilberto Hernandez.
“It motivates us to eat better, motivate us to keep doing exercise. So we can come and play soccer. So that’s another thing that I think the HCC provides to all these older players, you know, keep the motivation to keep exercising and keep moving so we can continue playing soccer even when you’re 65 years old,” said Barreto.
“It’s like the carrot in front of the stick. As I get older, there are new leagues that are just a little bit older than me, so I could continue to participate and keep looking forward to that next league,” added Hernandez.
All levels of skill are welcome in the Half Century Club
The annual tournament, which is always free to attend, is played on a smaller field with seven players on each side as opposed to the traditional 11 v 11 format.
“We play in a lot of 11 versus 11 tournaments but as we grow older, I believe the 7 v 7 is the way to go. The fields are smaller, the goals are smaller, and you get to touch the ball way more and it makes for a lot of chances for people to come and play that you couldn’t get if we were just playing 11 v 11,” said Sabin.
While club members and Days of Glory participants may have an extensive soccer playing background, it’s not a requirement and everyone regardless of skill and experience over the age of 50 is welcome and encouraged to try.
“The skills are not really that important. It’s just as long as you want to play. The enthusiasm comes from perhaps the friendliness that we have. We always welcome anyone to participate. We invite those people who have that cordiality that are always willing to play and to have fun at the same time. And so this year we have two new countries that we have gotten members from. So we are up to 38 countries in our club,” Tineo said proudly.
Days of Glory is a celebration of being able to keep playing the game of soccer
“One of the first things I tell people when I meet them is that I still play soccer at my age and most men that I say that to, they don’t have that kind of group of friends that they’ve had, you know, over the years. And I’m very proud of that. And they say it, too. It’s amazing that you guys are still out there. We play twice a week. We hang out after work and stuff like that. It’s a blessing. It really is a privilege to be able to still be active like this and have such deep friendships at this age group,” said Hernandez.
As the Days of Glory soccer tournament continues to grow year after year, there has been talk about adding extra age divisions and possibly a women’s division in future years. For now, the Days of Glory tournament continues to be a highlight for these soccer lovers who make the annual trip to Aurora every August.
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