IFA gets players ‘Back In The Game’

CAIRO – 16 August 2017: The majority of people who like football play until their late 30s. However, with Northern Ireland ‘Back InThe Game’ program one can enjoy playing football until the late 60s.

In 2016, Irish Football Association (IFA) decided to come up with ‘Back In The Game’ initiative to allow retired professionals and regular players to return and to play football once again.

Ian Stewart IFA Grassroots Development Manager explained what made him interested in contributing to the program and the key to naming it Back in the Game, on UEFA website earlier this week.

“I came up with the name ‘Back in the Game’ because of a conversation I had with one of the players about me, as an ex-player, on why didn’t I get back into the game, so I took that phrase and used it for the program,” Stewart said.

“The aim is to get men and women to get active by playing football and we use that as a vehicle to get them together socially as well," he added.

“You’ve got ex-international players, you’ve ex-Irish league players, you’ve people who work in offices, plumbers, plasterers, all different people, they’re from clubs, existing clubs, or they’re community groups who have just set up the team to play a game of football," he concluded.

According to the UEFA’s website the initiative went from 6 teams in 2016 to around 2,000 players participating in that program. ‘Back In The Game’ has women playing football that are over the age of 30 and men over the age of 35.