Seniors find their goal in life

Club gives elderly a sense of community and proves sport is for the young at heart

They may not be fast or aggressive on the pitch nowadays, and the offside trap takes longer to spring than usual, but the senior players, even including some 80-year-olds, at Yiyou Soccer Club are all serious about soccer. Based in downtown Kunming, Yunnan province, the club has a history of more than four decades.

"We have about 70 active players, most of which are above 50 years old. We have six 80-year-old members, and the oldest player we have is 88," said sprightly 66-year-old club leader Sun Dianyun to China Youth Daily.

"We paid ourselves to build the pitch years before for about 90,000 yuan ($13,293). And each week, we hold two training sessions. And now the club has become a sort of home for our senior players."

According to Sun, the club originated from students at Kunming No 1 High School when he and his friends were still teenagers.

"I still remember many students at our high school loved to play soccer. And to keep that passion and love, we decided to create a club," Sun added.

"At the very beginning, there were just four people in our club and I was the youngest. But now I'm the only one left in this world. They all passed away, but we keep our passion to the sport."

Soccer's the lifetime passion to all four founders of the club. The most high-profile founder among the four was former China international Ma Kejian, who also worked years as an official at the Chinese Football Association. And the other two founders, Gao Zupei and Bai Yunxiang, worked at the local sports departments in Kunming for decades before retirement.

And that passion towards soccer is shared by all members of the club. Among them is 84-year-old Li Chongzhi, who was also an alumnus of the high school.

"I still remember there were two standard pitches at our high school. The first thing for the students after class each day was to rush to the pitches," said Li, who was a player of Yunnan provincial team and then became a coach of the Yunnan team.

"Also PE class was very important to all of us. There are other two 80-year-olds in Yiyou club were students of our high school, they were also professional soccer players before."

Sun told China Youth Daily that at the very beginning most members were students and alumnus of the high school. But later on, more and more senior soccer lovers joined in the club.

"We even participated in the national competitions for seniors. More and more people joined in, and they had different backgrounds such as police officers, physicians and even opera singers. However, most of our members had experience in professional teams when they were young," said Sun.

"Many of our senior players believe that as long as we can still play, the spirits of Yunnan soccer will remain. The meaning of our group name, Yiyou, was friends from No 1 High School as Chinese word Yi refers to No 1. But gradually it has already changed to just a group of friends who loves soccer."

Eight years ago, the self-funded club built their own five-a-side pitch next to a local market. They even have a "multifunctional" dressing room, which features a kitchen, a shower, a big TV and even a mahjong table for after-match relaxation.

"Some of our members donated 10,000 yuan and some donated a few hundred yuan. That's how we built this place. We just need to have a place so we can be connected to soccer and each other," said 81-year-old Chen Xiaokun, who used to be a national-level soccer referee and soccer commentator.

"After training, we cook food here and we eat together. Most of the members who have retired would eat here at the club after training, but those who are still at work would return to their offices."

As many club members are senior players, safety at training or in competition is the priority. The club has comprehensive regulations. For example, players who are above 70 must wear a green armband. Other players need to avoid, or at least reduce, physical contact with those wearing an armband.

Forty-year-old He Qingwei is one of the youngest in the team, and for him, he has other regulations to consider.

"I have some rules for myself, such as passing more often to the senior players. I used to play here with my dad, and even after he passed away, I still want to come," said He.

"Many of the senior players are actually very experienced as they played professionally when they were younger. I still can learn from them. But what touches me the most is their passion to the sport.

"What we need for grassroots soccer development is such passion. At the age of 70 or 80, people can still gather together for the sport that we love. Even being able to stand on the pitch is such an amazing achievement. Can I still play at their age? Looking at them, I don't seem to have a negative answer."