Some over aged players, playing in the Tokyo Senior Football League
In the heart of Tokyo, a group of senior citizens are rewriting the rules of ageing, one kick at a time.
The Tokyo Senior Football League, affectionately called SFL80 (Soccer for Life 80) is a groundbreaking football league for players aged 80 and above.
It’s not just a novelty, it’s a celebration of longevity, spirit, and the enduring love of the beautiful game.
Launched in April 2023, the SFL80 has drawn in around 40 players, split across three teams: Red Star, White Bear, and Blue Hawaii.
With an average age of 84, the league’s oldest player is the remarkable Shingo Shiozawa, a 93-year-old former race car designer who now serves as the goalkeeper for White Bear.
While the players may no longer have the explosive speed of their youth, their footwork, tactical awareness, and sheer determination remain intact.
Each match is kept short, just 15 minutes, with one half to respect the players’ physical limits. Substitutions are freely allowed, and special rules have been crafted to protect the well-being of the competitors.
Despite their age, the players compete on full-size fields, the same dimensions used in professional Japanese leagues.
The games are scheduled once a month from February to April, skipping the scorching summer months of July and August due to heat-related health risks.
The SFL80 is the latest chapter in a football movement that began in Tokyo over two decades ago, when leagues for players aged 60 and up began to form.
In 2012, the SFL70 was launched, followed by SFL75, giving rise to a full pyramid of senior leagues.
As of 2023, the numbers showed a thriving football culture among Tokyo’s aging population.
In 2023, the Tokyo Senior Football League featured 31 teams and 620 players in the 0-65 League, 18 teams and 449 players in the 0-70 League, 9 teams and 187 players in the 0-75 League, and 3 teams with 62 players in the newly introduced 0-80 League.
FKA/AE
Meanwhile, watch the latest edition of Sports Check with former Hearts of Oak midfielder Frederick Ansah Botchway
