A CANADIAN Veterans football team, the Victorian Legends, and their wives, will be welcomed to Saltash this week.

They are to play a team of local older players all with connections to Saltash United, managed by chairman Bill Wakeham, who may also play.

The Canadian team (pictured above) is composed of players from the South Vancouver Island Classic Soccer Association which organises a 23-game recreational schedule between September and April. There are 142 players, aged 60 years and over, registered with the teams, with five of them aged 70 or over.

Besides the scheduled games the association also runs scrimmages for players over 60 on Monday and Friday afternoons throughout the year. Players turn up at these times with a white and dark shirt, divide themselves into two or four teams and play a game without the services of a referee It is not unusual for more than 38 players to turn out for this event.

Teams from the SVICSA play in tournaments or tour in the US, Hawaii, Japan, Cuba, Mexico, Costa Rica and Europe. However, they find it strange that when touring Europe or the UK, the home of football, they have to play teams compiled of younger players because older ones have hung up their boots.

The Victoria Legends FC is composed of players aged 56 to 75 and are in the UK to enjoy a friendly game of soccer followed by a chance to interact with local players, experience the rich history of the UK and sample real ale. Their ethnic background includes English, Welsh, Italian, Asian, Norwegian, Dutch and Canadian. Entrance to the match is free.

The match will take place at Kimberley, Saltash, on Tuesday (May 12) at 7.30pm.