Grannies Play Soccer in South Africa

Soccer is everywhere you turn these days, but did you hear about the seniors playing soccer in South Africa?

The 35 women, aged from 50 to 84, play for a team called Vakhegula Vakhegula or Grannies, Grannies in the Xitsonga language of northern South Africa. The team hails from a rural township near Tzaneen, 600 km (373 miles) north of Johannesburg.

The team was founded five years ago to help the older women keep fit and flexible, but the project has been so successful they have set their sights on a trip to the Veterans Cup competition in Lancaster, Michigan.

The team has been invited to play in America from July 13-18 for the Veterans Cup, where seniors come together and play soccer.

Whatever happens, however, the grannies have no regrets, saying playing football, often in their aprons after domestic work, has changed their lives.

Check out more about the Grannies at http://darynkagan.demo.nimbussoftware.com/sports/2010/sp_100624_soccer_grannies.html.

-- by Steve Hargrove, Director of Events and Marketing