The Old Cooroovians have come within a whisker of silverware at the Redlands Football (Soccer) Sevens Tournament.
On the 21/22 February, a team of ten well-seasoned footballers (soccer), comprising of both current and former Cooroora United Football Club players combined with a few Coolum Beach Walking Football players, travelled down the Bruce Highway to take part in the prestigious Redlands Coast Sevens competition.
The squad, playing as the ‘Old Cooroovians’, boasted an eclectic blend of five English players, three Scots, one American, and one Aussie, all participating in the Over 55s division.
Despite not playing together regularly, the Old Cooroovians put in a surprisingly impressive performance on the first day, securing two wins and one loss, which saw them sitting third on the tournament ladder.
Spirits were high going into the second day, but with tired legs and a few sleep-deprived players, maintaining their winning form proved challenging.
However, it turned out to be a day where expectations exceeded ability, and the team could only manage a draw and two losses.
But, despite this, they still had done enough to secure a place in the Plate Final.
In a nail-biting final, the Old Cooroovians battled valiantly but couldn’t find the net, even after the extra time of extra time, leading to a tense penalty shootout.
Unfortunately, they fell just short, finishing as runners-up in the Plate competition.
While missing out on the silverware was disappointing, the team’s performance exceeded expectations, and they walked away with their heads held high.
More importantly, the players had a fantastic time, filled with plenty of laughs and a few well-earned drinks to ease the disappointment.
The Old Cooroovians would like to thank Cooroora United Football Club for providing the playing kit and training facilities and Coolum Beach Walking Football Club for the loan of marquees to keep us cool and lending an alternate ‘away’ strip.
With more ‘Masters’ tournaments on the horizon, the legend of the Old Cooroovians continues to grow.
For those interested in dusting off their boots and reliving their glory days by playing Over55 or Over-60 football then get in touch with Donald at cooroovian@gmail.com.
Our aim is to eventually have a weekly social get-together/competition held somewhere in the Noosa Shire area. At the moment Cooroora United Football Club in Cooroy have been kind enough to provided us with the facilities but we would eventually like to have somewhere more central for the majority of the players.
We are looking to have something that sits between the Over 35s football, that is played in the area, and Walking Football that some of the players participate in at the moment.
