Daddy FC

I know I like to moan on about how bits drop off, get wobblier and fall out as I hurtle towards mid life....who am I kidding?  I'm nearly 39, so unless I'm still rattling around at 90, I am already middle aged! 

Well, today I realised that it's a bit of an issue for men too. 

S took part in a charity football match, (soccer).  He was really looking forward to it as it was for a very worthy cause and also meant he'd get to play on one of the local professional teams pitches.

For the last few days he's kept saying to me, "I hope I get even 20 minutes"... he needn't have worried for when we turned up, there were only 14 players and as it was a charity game, they'd all be playing the full 90 minutes. 

They all wandered into the changing rooms and the kids & I took a seat on the empty terrace.  J was getting very excited about watching his dad play football and actually, so was I.  S used to play a lot.  He's got trophy's for 'Top Goal Scorer' and 'Players Player', which are now in our son's bedroom.  S also got sponsored as a teenager and played in America, so he was a pretty good footballer.  He is also very competitive and expects others to 'PLAY THE GAME' too.

Suddenly, the other team trotted out, almost in slow motion, onto the pitch to warm up... for a whole 25 minutes!!! I looked in the programme and saw that they had brought their own physio! hahaha

They were semi pro's and averaging about 22 years of age.  S told me to add that a lot of them were well over 6 foot tall.

S and the other 'Rovers' played the full 90 minutes, pouring with sweat, getting 'nutmegged and being generally out paced by the youthful opponents but they did pull back three goals in the very very long second half to finish with a very respectable score of 3-6 to the amoeba's.

The most obvious observation I made was the huge aging effect that having children has on us all, for whenever any one of the spectating toddlers would shout, "HELLOOOO DADDYYYYY"!!!, nearly all our team would turn and wave wearily, knackered and sweating, whilst the other team would sprint past, without a responsibility, or care in the world.  Your time will come boys, your time will come. ;)

Wayne Rooney in a few years time?