Age is just a number for veteran footy players

GEELONG’S AFL Masters teams are getting ready to wind back the clock for their opening round fixtures this weekend.

The Cats compete in the Masters’ Victorian Metropolitan League, where players from 35 all the way up to their 70s team up to chase a kick in a social environment that caters for slowing bodies.

Club president Jeff Brooks begun his Masters career as a 45-year-old in 2007, when his competitive itch returned after five years of retirement from the local footy scene.

“What got me going was watching my son run around, and there were some dads running around too and I thought; I could run around with these blokes, no worries,” he said.

While the Masters competition ostensibly acts as a vehicle for old blokes to keep up their fitness levels and reimagine the glories of their youth, the pandemic has highlighted its benefits for social and mental wellbeing for local men.

Mr Brooks has first-hand experience of the club’s value in managing mental health after it helped play a key role in helping him cope with family tragedy.

“My wife passed away a couple of years ago and the footy club kept me sane going through that,” he said.

“Not a lot of people knew what I was going through. The president at the time knew, he said ‘try and come to training when you can, it will help you switch off a bit’.

“And he was right, blokes would hang shit on you for a terrible kick and brought you back to Earth a little bit, and you’d have a bit of a laugh and walk away with a smile on your face.

“That’s where it helped a few people. We’ve got guys that have gone through losses of jobs through COVID, or marriage break-ups.

“It really helps the mental health side of things.”

Mr Brooks said the over-age league brought together locals from all walks of life and that the Geelong side was always looking for new players to fill sides, with other commitments and inevitable injuries adding regular strain to player numbers.

“There’s multiple brackets you can put it in,” he said.

“If you want to get fitter, if you want to just have a run and a beer after Thursday night training, talk a bit of rubbish, or feeling a bit down and want to do something, or want to talk to and meet new people, then come along.”

The Masters club has over-35s, over-50s and over-55s sides, with players as young as 35 and as old as 72 pulling on the boots during the season.

Training and games are at Newcomb, with sessions running in traditional night slots and in in the morning to cater for semi-retired or shift workers.

Geelong’s Masters side begins its season on Sunday against Western Saints.