Discover the Weekend Division Club With 1,800 Premier League Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans in a 6-2 triumph versus their opponents on October 19th (from left to right) - one player, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you boost a stellar veteran squad who have secured consecutive titles, featuring a double triumph with 30 wins from 32 matches?

Sign a raft of ex- pro players who have competed at the elite level of club football and international soccer as you target additional trophies.

A Greater Manchester side boasts an non-professional vets team with nine ex- Premier League footballers in their active roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

The team Veterans Over-35s are situated in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Premier Tier.

Their lineup this campaign features nine ex- Premier League players, with a combined nearly 1,800 Premier League games.

This high-profile squad also contains over 220 top division goals and 325 international appearances.

The squad feature one forward, who netted thirty-seven scores in 117 appearances for his former club after joining them for £9m from Bundesliga side Freiburg in 2012.

He had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home game versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a 6-2 victory - featuring a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's roster for this season also features ex- pros such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- top-flight players have claimed fifteen big trophies and transferred for total transfer fees of around £123 million.

Household Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, scoring four scores

Ireland started playing for the team during preseason this season through close mate and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then invited additional former professionals, who all play in a weekly small-sided match, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Niasse, who scored 12 goals in sixty-five Premier League matches for Everton and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Everton training kit as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for Everton between 2016 and 2020

"A mate Stephen told me 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said the striker.

"Then he told me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Blue kits - I say this is strange for me!

"When you still enjoy football and you know you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?

"The people who come and watch are happy and to make a moment if they see us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the strength in depth at the club, Niasse made his first game at defender.

"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

"I warn my centre-back 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep attacking.

"The running is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Dreamlike' Experience

In addition to the forward's six goals on debut, Ireland has netted 8 in three appearances for the side, while Boyd hit 5 on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one match up front.

The team are leading of the Top Tier with three wins from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced former Latics full-back Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for his country, in as well as featuring in more than two hundred top-flight matches.

"It was going round like a rumor they had all these former top-flight players," said the player.

"I felt I was a little starstruck playing against him to be honest.

"Also Heskey came on and he's has 60-odd England caps.

"Our side held our own for a good 20 minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"Our group really have not stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the journey home.

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a bunch of normal guys.

"Now we are eager for the second match."

'We'll Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Top Division title last season, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a

Christina Walton
Christina Walton

A seasoned casino strategist with over a decade of experience in gaming analytics and player psychology, specializing in slot machine optimization.