‘I’m 76 and have no plans of stopping yet’
David Margerison, 76, lives in Oakley, West Yorkshire, and plays with the Leeds Adel Hockey Club
I’ve been playing with my hockey club for 51 years, when my school’s old boys’ team merged with another club, forming Leeds Adel Hockey Club, the team I still play for now.
Hockey has always been my favourite sport. Even at 76, I still enjoy running about and chasing after the ball. If I manage to score a goal, that’s a nice feeling. I go out at every game with an attitude of wanting to win
– it doesn’t always happen, but one tries!
Our club has changed dramatically over the years. When I first started, the games were all friendlies, but now we are part of a league structure. I play in a lower division and I’m the eldest in my team; we have a handful of people over 60, but most are youngsters – between 14 and 17. We tend to be a development side for teaching them the game and it’s wonderful to see their progress.
There’s very good camaraderie between us. The best thing about being in a hockey club is the friendships that you make within your own club and with other clubs you’re playing against. It’s always fun after a match, being in the bar with your own team and the opposition. Those friendships have lasted over a long period of time.
Outside of the hockey season, I play with other teams and have taken part in international tournaments. These have taken me all around the world – from Barcelona to Hong Kong and South Africa. I was supposed to go to Tokyo last year, although that was obviously cancelled. Hopefully I’ll be able to go to the next one.
When I first got the opportunity to play in a tournament when I was 60, I thought, “This can’t last – I’ll be lucky if I last until 65.” Now I’m 76 and have no plans of stopping yet.