A NEW Worcester 11-a-side team are looking for football’s golden oldies in the area to join them.

Warndon Villages super veterans started training this week on the city’s Nunnery Wood Sports Complex all-weather pitch.

They will meet every Tuesday from 8pm until 9pm with newcomers welcome for a free first-time session.

The team will play home games on the artificial surface at Dyson Perrins Academy, Malvern, and begin on Sunday by hosting Droitwich in the Worcestershire FA Super Veterans League (10.30am).

Main organiser Martin Winter, 50, is hoping for more players to join the team who are made up of mainly over 50s but can field three between 45 and 49.

He said: “I moved to Worcester in 1998 for work reasons and had played Sunday league football in Oxford for the previous 14 years before our move.

“I was never the best player but what I lacked in skill I more than made up for in enthusiasm. It was always about playing.

“However, with the new job and trying to settle a young family into a new city, my spare time seemed to be limited and before I knew it I thought I was too old to start playing again.

“I turned the big 5-0 last October and thought my football playing days were well in my past. I had seen the walking football adverts and decided to look into it in more detail.

“I became really interested and joined Hindlip walking football club to see how things went. I really enjoyed it, it wasn’t as slow as the advert portrayed.

“The club have a great atmosphere with a great group of players who don’t take it too seriously.

“We don’t keep the score in training but play competitively and it gets me fit at the same time.

“It wasn’t long before I was asked if I was interested in playing in a tournament. We finished as losing semi-finalists and had a a really good few hours of football.

“We entered a tournament just before Christmas arranged by Kidderminster Harriers and finished third for our best finish.

“We have since been invited to a competition in northern Italy in early May and will be taking a team.

“We think Manchester United and Manchester City will be sending their walking football teams.

“After a while at Hindlip I soon found a few other members missing the full-length game, the dressing-room banter and the smell of deep heat.

“After research I found out Worcestershire FA were planning an over 50s super veterans league to start in early 2017.

“The league consists of six teams and we will be playing only one game against each side this season.

“We will play every other week, giving our minds and more importantly our bodies time to recover.

“Each game is 80 minutes long, the same rules as the 90-minute game, and the good news is we use rolling subs so a match-day squad of 15 will make sure everyone gets a good amount of game-time.”

Anyone interested can call Winter on 07843 192353 or email martin.winter1966@hotmail.co.uk.