Why I love Powerleague in Mill Hill

Tonight, as I do every Thursday at around 8pm, I will make my way to Powerleague in Pursley Road to play five a side football. For nearly 20 years, this has been a ritual and one I am loathe to break. I've missed concerts, not asked important questions at Council meetings and upset family members by not attending parties and other celebrations because I've been playing football. When I started playing with the boys, I was 38. I had played eleven a side football until I was 33 with Hendon School old boys, stopping when my eldest daughter was born. I felt that it would be unfair to my wife to miss every Saturday afternoon. It also gave her a break from childcare. As I put on a couple of stone, she was quite supportive when I suggested I might start playing again. The group were roughly my age, including several old school mates from Orange Hill. It was a good standard, but friendly. We'd also have a beer in the Three Hammers after the match. As time went by, most of the original group retired, moved away or got injured. Now there are just three originals, who were there when I joined the gang. Some of us bring our sons to join in. They are faster, more skillful and better players than me, but it keeps an edge. Around five years ago, the original organiser, Tony retired. I stepped up and added the organisation to the long list of things I do. Unlike most of the other things, there is a big payback. For me, it is a highlight of the week. It helps me deal with the stresses of life. You can't take your cares onto a football pitch, so you are forced to chill.

Over the weekend, I was thinking about my father. Watching the Cricket world cup reminded me of his love of Cricket. He was a very good cricketer in his youth, playing at a good level in Australia before the second world war. When he left the RAF in 1946 and settled in England, he played for several seasons for Finchley Cricket club. I once asked him why he stopped and his reply was that when he realised that he was not able to physically perform to the level he wanted, he saw no point in playing. He switched his allegiance to snooker at The Mill Hill Services club. He could have a pint while he played and that became his Thursday night ritual. In the mid 1960's his snooker partner was film star Patrick McGoohan, a club member famous for the Prisoner and Ice Station Zebra. As he loved cricket, I never really understood his decision to stop. He was fiercely competitive and I suspect that he didn't like the idea that sooner or later he'd lose his place in the team to someone he considered an inferior player. As I pondered these thoughts, celebrating Englands victory, I realised that as I've never been a particularly good footballer, I've probably enjoyed it far more than if I'd been someone who actually had a chance of success. On Tuesday night, I went to Borehamwood to watch the team play QPR. I went with my old music mate, Boz Boorer, his daughter and my son. We bumped into Boz's mate, QPR legend Kevin Gallen and had a few beers with him, before watching the match.

Much fun was had, but on the way back Boz commented that, given the dire quality of football and the lack of first team players, for Kev it must have been like when Boz, as a musician watches a duff tribute act. Kev was there to check out a few players, he now works for Crystal Palace. I am not sure that his trip was worth the effort, as the Wood won 2-1 in a poor game. The QPR goal looked to me rather like a dodgy penalty.

Although I'd love to have scored the winning goal for England in a World Cup final or for Manchester City FC in the FA Cup final, the fact I was always quite rubbish meant that I've always been able to enjoy my football. I enjoy the camaraderie of playing in a team.

Powerleague in Mill Hill is a wonderful place. It gives a fat, unfit 56 year old like me the opportunity to kick a ball about, long after the age when I should be. Having a 4G Astroturf pitch and floodlights, means we can play at 8.30pm, come rain or shine. It has given me the chance to play football with my 19 year old son, which is something I'd guess most blokes would love to do. It means that I see my group of friends on a regular basis and I've made many new ones over the 20 years with the team. We organise curry nights and have been to comedy clubs etc as a group.

So when you hear that Mill Hill isn't the place that it was 40 years ago, just remember that people in my Dad's generation didn't have Powerleague. For me, Powerleague is the best new business to arrive in Mill Hill in the last 25 years. Ironically, it is on the site of my old clubs clubhouse. I was quite upset when it was knocked down, but have to admit, Powerleague is actually a huge improvement. It is great to see all of the young people playing sport there. Powerleague is a jewel in Mill Hill. I haven't been paid for this article, but if they want to give us a few beers in the clubhouse next Thursday, I won't say no!