Meet the Weekend League Club Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for the team Veterans in a six-two win versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you enhance a stellar veteran squad who have claimed back-to-back titles, including a double triumph with 30 victories from thirty-two games?

Bring in a group of former professionals who have performed at the elite tier of club and international football as you pursue more honors.

One Greater Manchester club fields an non-professional veterans team with 9 former top-flight players in their present squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Appearances

The team Veterans Over 35s are located in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Top Tier.

Their squad list this campaign boasts 9 former Premier League players, with a collective over 1,800 Premier League appearances.

The star-studded roster also boasts 222 Premier League scores and over 320 international caps.

The squad include one forward, who scored 37 goals in 117 games for his former club after moving to them for £9m from German league side Freiburg in 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their most recent home game against reigning champions their rivals and scored all six scores in a six-two win - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also includes former professionals such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- Premier League players have won fifteen major trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Well-Known Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, netting four scores

Stephen Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this summer through good friend and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then invited other ex-pros, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Niasse, who scored twelve scores in sixty-five Premier League games for Everton and still goes to their home games, also had his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in the city and use an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse featured for the club from 2016 and 2020

"My mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and have a game, it's good fun'," said the striker.

"After that he informed me we were playing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Blue kits - I thought this is strange for me!

"When you still love football and you know you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"Those fans who turn up and see are pleased and to give someone's day if they see us playing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the squad depth at the club, he had his debut at full-back.

"It's a little unusual but then, I love running and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he said.

"I tell my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep running.

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Feeling

Along with the forward's 6 scores on debut, Ireland has scored eight in three appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a hat-trick in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 Premier League games.

"It was going round like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League stars," remarked Barrow.

"I felt I was a little awestruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

"Also Heskey got on and he's got 60-odd England appearances.

"Our side held our own for a good twenty minutes but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"We literally haven't stopped talking about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the way home.

"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a bunch of normal fellas.

"Now we can't wait for the second fixture."

We Will Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Top Tier title last season, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a

Carrie Meyers
Carrie Meyers

A digital strategist with over 8 years of experience in SEO and content marketing, passionate about helping brands thrive online.