Bergisch's over-60 team fights for the title – runner-up won!

Bergisch's over-60 team fights for the title – runner-up won!

The footballers from the Berg district recently caused a stir at the Middle Rhine Championships in Mondorf. The over-60 team secured second place and was only beaten by SV Bergisch Gladbach 09. The tournament that loud Oberberg-current Organized by the Mittelrhein Football Association (FVM) since 1986, it offered numerous older players a stage to live out their passion and compete against each other.

It all started with a 0-0 draw against the Rhein-Erft district selection, followed by a 1-3 defeat against KAW Heinsberg. In order to achieve a top ranking, we had to win the remaining three games. The team mastered this challenge with flying colors and initially beat SG Alemannia Aachen/FV Haaren 2-0, with Holger Jungjohann and Peter Schaubode scoring the goals. They also scored a clear 2-0 win against SSC Satzvey - goals from Buffy Hammelrath and Manni Funk. The crowning conclusion was the 1-0 win against the 84/Waldesruh team, achieved by Jupp Geisler.

Qualification for the West German Championships

The result of this mixed but ultimately successful tournament performance was qualification for the West German Championships on July 5th in Duisburg. KAW Bonn helped the Bergische Kicker finish with 10 points and a solid second place, while SV Bergisch Gladbach 09 was the winner against the aforementioned team. It is worth mentioning that the Gladbach team had a well-known line-up, including ex-professional Hans-Peter Lehnhoff.

Jürgen Liehn, the team's coach, praised the morale and camaraderie of his players highly. The following players are active in the Berg district selection: Dieter Heiden, Meik Brinkmann, Giacomo Lardani, Artur Hettich, Holger Jungjohann, Dirk Clemens, Manni Funk, Kurt “Buffy” Hammelrath, Peter Schaubode, Werner Heissner, Michael Blumberg and Jupp Geisler. With such performances, the players show that football can still be enjoyed properly even in their “prime”.

Tradition and community in OB games

Since the introduction of the Ü40 Middle Rhine Championship, the FVM's range of tournaments has continued to expand. The association now also offers competitions for those over 32, over 50 and over 60, which enable older players to remain active beyond regular league operations. The sporting challenges give them the opportunity to compete in an adapted form of competition. Wolfgang Sieben, chairman of the Committee for Leisure and Popular Sports, is an advocate of this tradition, which has existed since 1986 fvm.de reported.

A lively football life, even for older players, not only provides sporting experiences, but also strengthens the community and team spirit among the players. The developments in the leagues show that the enthusiasm for sport lives on at any age.

The picture of the over-60 scene is rounded off by information from the Munich senior group, which also has an over-60 championship in its program. Here, SG Oberföhring emerged as champions, while FC Bayern Munich took second place, which illustrates the competitiveness in this age group muenchner-seniorenrunde.de.