Extra time - Japanese over-80s footballers roll back the years

There are mops of silver hair, Bobby Charlton combovers and a fair number of creaking knees. But the Red Star and Blue Hawaii football teams can be forgiven for the hesitant start to their match: every man on the pitch is over 80. Within minutes, though, they are running - and moaning at the referee - as they roll back the years with every pass and tackle.

- Justin McCurry

The 22 men are defying the passage of time in the Tokyo Soccer for Life league for the over-80s, a sporting expression of Japan's status as a "super-ageing" society where the average male life expectancy is 85. They are among a growing number of older Japanese who are playing sport at an age when most people have long since swapped their football boots for a pair of comfy slippers.

"The over-80s 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 league's secretary general.

There are some concessions to the teams' advanced years. Each half lasts 15 minutes, tired players can ask to leave the pitch whenever they like the first substitution in this round of matches came after 13 minutes - and the league will break during the heat of July and August.

At 83, Mutsuhiko Nomura retains the skills that have served him well during seven decades in football. The former Japan national team player is the Red Stars' midfield general, urging his teammates to push forward as he sprays the ball around the pitch.