80 is the new 50

Mutsuhiko Nomura's football career has spanned 18 World Cups, or 70 years, to be exact.

Now the silver-maned former Japanese national team player is a member of the brand new over-80 division of Tokyo's "Soccer For Life" (SFL) league, which played its first match this month.

The sprightly 83-year-old and his teammates are among a growing number of seniors pushing the boundaries of active living in Japan, one of the world's fastest-greying societies.

"When I was a kid, men in their 50s and 60s were considered 'grandpas'," Nomura, already a member of several amateur teams, said after a pre-season practice match in February.

"And now, we're all still at it in our 80s. It's shocking."

It was only two decades ago that Tokyo created a division for the 0-60 age group. In 2012, the 0-70 division followed, and five years later, the 0-75 category. At that rate, 0-80 was simply a matter of time.

If his more "mature" teammates are something to go by, Nomura may easily have another decade on the pitch: the oldest player, Shingo Shiozawa, is 93.

"If I hadn't played football, I'd have been dead by now," said the former designer of racing cars, who plays goalie.

He credits the sport with motivating him to quit smoking and helping to speed his recovery after treatment for spinal stenosis.

With an average age of 83-1/2, however, stiff backs, creaky knees and laboured breathing were often on display as the players of the three SFL teams slogged through inaugural matches under a blazing sun last Wednesday.

A ball propelled forward by a player failed to reach his slow-moving teammate, while a few stumbled and wobbled on the pitch. An 89-year-old who ran out of breath asked to be substituted about 10 minutes into a match, unable to play the rest of the 15-minute half.

After the game, Nomura and his teammates toasted their prowess with cans of beer, in a ritual familiar to many younger players.

"I think the formation of the 0-80 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 secretary general of the SFL league.