Red Star’s midfielder Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, and White Bear’s goalkeeper Shingo Shiozawa, 93, greet their opponents at the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, stretches during a practice with his TAFF (Tama Area Friday Football) teammates, a football team where the players’ average age is 65-year-old, in Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Red Star’s midfielder Mutsuhiko Nomura (left), 83, shoots to score a goal against Blue Hawai’s goalkeeper Hiroshi Nishino, 87, at the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," Nomura said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

White Bear’s Shingo Shiozawa, 93, puts on his goalkeeper gloves during a soccer practice with Nihon Soccer OB Club, a team whose players’ average age is 77.4-year-old, in Tokyo, Japan, April 4, 2023. Shiozawa trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Shingo Shiozawa, 93, sprints in his office to keep fit at his office in Tokyo, Japan, March 28, 2023. Shiozawa, the goalkeeper of a soccer team in a league for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo (the SFL or Soccer for Life), trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Shingo Shiozawa, 93, solves ancient math problems in Egyptian numbers to keep his mind sharp at his office in Tokyo, Japan, March 28, 2023. Shiozawa, the goalkeeper of a soccer team in a league for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo (the SFL or Soccer for Life), trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

White Bear’s Hideki Makimura (center), 79, and Red Star’s Kinjiro Ishida, 81, battle for the ball during the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Mutsuhiko Nomura (right), 83, and his wife Junko Nomura, 80, watch the Japanese national team’s soccer match against Colombia, at their home in Tokyo, Japan, March 28, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

White Bear’s goalkeeper Shingo Shiozawa (center), 93, claps with his teammates following the Japanese custom 'temije' (a ceremonial rhythmic hand clapping), after the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Shiozawa trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Shingo Shiozawa, 93, attends a Nihon Soccer OB Club soccer practice, a team whose members’ average age is 77.4-year-old, in Tokyo, Japan, April 4, 2023. Shiozawa, the goalkeeper of a soccer team in a league for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo (the SFL or Soccer for Life), trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Members of Nihon Soccer OB Club, a team whose players’ average age is 77.4-year-old, hang a net on a goalpost as they prepare for their practice match in Tokyo, Japan, April 4, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, stretches during a practice with his TAFF (Tama Area Friday Football) teammates, a football team where the players’ average age is 65-year-old, in Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Red Star’s midfielder Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, checks a list with the team members and their ages, ahead of the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Nihon Soccer OB Club members, a team whose members’ average age is 77.4-year-old, do physical training before a practice match in Tokyo, Japan, April 4, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Red Star’s midfielder Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, arranges soccer vests with the teammates jersey numbers before the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

White Bear’s goalkeeper Shingo Shiozawa (centre), 93, talks with his teammates Akimichi Nakamachi (left), 82, and Kozo Ishida, 82, about players’ positions ahead of their opening match of SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Shiozawa trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

White Bear’s goalkeeper Shingo Shiozawa, 93, waits for the ball to come to his side at the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Shiozawa trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Red Star’s Haruo Kiyoto, 80, catches his breath after the second half of the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Red Star’s Takao Yokoyama (2nd to the left), 86, chases a ball against White Bear’s Kozo Ishida, 82, at the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Red Star’s Akito Ohashi, 79, drinks water after the second half of the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Red Star’s midfielder Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, and his teammates toast with canned beers at a park after the opening match of SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mutsuhiko Nomura (left), 83, his daughter Yuriko Nomura (centre), 48, and his granddaughter Mone Nomura, 13, practice soccer at a park in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," Nomura said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mutsuhiko Nomura (1st to the left), 83, chats with his TAFF (Tama Area Friday Football) teammates, a football team where the players’ average age is 65-year-old, at a restaurant after their practice in Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mutsuhiko Nomura (left), 83, checks his blood pressure while his wife Junko Nomura, 80, writes down the reading on a notebook to keep record, at their home in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A newspaper article from 1966 is seen in a scrap book Junko Nomura, 80, made featuring her husband Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, at their home in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, explains photos taken when he and his wife Junko Nomura, 80, traveled to France to watch the 1998 France World Cup Games, at his home in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Shingo Shiozawa, 93, answers the landline phone from his office in Tokyo, Japan, March 28, 2023. Shiozawa, the goalkeeper of a soccer team in a league for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo (the SFL or Soccer for Life), trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A pair of soccer shoes Mutsuhiko Nomura, 83, wore in 1972 when his team won the championship of Japan Soccer League is seen at his home in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2023. Nomura, who was chosen as an outstanding athlete in high school and had a place in the Japanese national team, is now a member of the inaugural soccer league, the SFL, for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo, with the average age between 82 and 84 in three teams, and the oldest player being 94 years old. "If possible, of course I want to keep playing until I'm 100 (years old)," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A T-shirt from the 1998 France World Cup Games is displayed on a wall akongside old calendars at the office of Shingo Shiozawa, 93, in Tokyo, Japan, March 28, 2023. Shiozawa, the goalkeeper of a soccer team in a league for seniors aged 80 or older in Tokyo (the SFL or Soccer for Life), trains several times a month and the sport has motivated him to quit smoking due to the intensive running it requires and has also helped him recover swiftly after being treated for spinal stenosis. "If I hadn't played soccer, I'd have been dead already," he said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Red Star's head coach Tamio Takeuchi, 84, instructs the positions to the team's players ahead of the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League opening match in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Players from Red Star, White Bear and Blue Hawaii attend the opening ceremony of the SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 League in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Kozo Ishida, 82, stretches before a pre-season practice match for the upcoming SFL (Soccer For Life) 80 league opening matches in Tokyo, Japan, February 8, 2023. Competitive athletics such as soccer were once considered off-limits for the elderly in the country, but people aged 65 or older now represent nearly a third of the population, and relatively healthy seniors are pushing the boundaries of aging, which has led to societal changes: about a fifth of seniors over age 70 are employed now, as the government entices the elderly to put off collecting their pensions by promising bigger payments later. "I think the formation of the O-80 division is a reflection of what we're seeing in Japanese society, where the elderly demographic can be active like this," said Yutaka Ito, the SFL league's secretary general. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "HOON SOCCER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.