Playing football after you've turned 35

The biggest problem when you're a veteran: avoiding injury. In your mind you're still 20 years old and you play as if that's the reality, but it's not. When you play with friends after work, or with colleagues at lunchtime, the difficulty is wanting to go straight onto the pitch and get to grips with the ball without warming up. The other problem is arriving at the last minute for your match, and again, not taking the time to warm up properly.

Two classic errors which can lead to injury, particularly when we know that 80% of injuries in team sports are linked to a lack of warming up. And the older you get, the more difficult it is to recover.

We recommend warming up for around 15-20 minutes, essential for minimising your risk of injury.

If you're a competitor, the evidence shows you always will be. You'll still be hungry for success on the pitch even with a few more years on the clock. You'll want to win, but perhaps less fervently than before. What changes is that, as a veteran, you might be less able to perform certain techniques, and you might injure yourself.

On the other hand, you're less likely to make silly mistakes. The game should be much more friendly, so you'll have to stay reasonable if you were once used to powerful tackles!

From a technical and tactical point of view, a veteran should rely on their experience and planning ahead rather than on their speed.

People who keep playing generally do so for two reasons: enjoying the game and the pleasure of playing together. The sports life of a veteran is punctuated by training, matches, and also by the post-match:the post-match craic and celebration.

Let's face it, part of the reason we play matches is for the after-party. Meeting everyone, chatting, making memories, it's what veterans live for.