Some passions dwindle away, some are forgotten, and others reach the end. But for senior soccer players in Lynnfield, the New England Over-the-Hill Soccer League makes sure that’s never the case.
The league, which began in 1981, is the largest and most organized amateur senior (30 and above) soccer league in the world. Lynnfield F.C. (football club) is well-respected within the league, and is the only organization with teams from all age divisions (over-30, over-40, over-48, over-55, over-62 and over-68).
Spiros Tourkakis, a longtime Lynnfield resident who helped create the LFC in 1981, said he wanted to make a change in soccer players’ lives, adding “adult soccer was really non-existent” in Lynnfield.
“We created another team, and it turned out to be a snowball effect – now we have six,” Tourkakis said. “The main idea was to bring health and fitness to our population [and] to the residents of Lynnfield.”
Tourkakis is a member of Lynnfield’s over-62 team, the Lynnfield Olympians, that won the championship in its age group this past season. The Olympians (10-1-1) beat the town of Bolton’s Nashoba team 3-0.
“It’s a very happy moment and a very satisfactory moment. That [through] all these years, hard work has paid off,” Tourkakis said. “We had a lot of fun and a lot of joy.”
Phil Crawford, long time Chair of the Board of Selectmen in Lynnfield, was also on the team, and said it’s a memory that will never be erased.
“We allowed, by far, the least amount of goals in the league,” Crawford said. “We got a trophy and everyone on the team got t-shirts that read ‘fall 2022 champs.’”
Crawford began playing in the league during his 40s, and hasn’t slowed down since. He calls it “a very large league of dads from the entire North Shore,” and says it gets him up and moving on weekends.
“You play at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning and you’re all done,” Crawford said. “The game’s over by 10 a.m. and you’ve got the whole rest of the day to yourself.”
Winning aside – which is always a plus – Crawford and Tourkakis enjoy it even more because of how much everyone in the “close-knit community” plays with smiles on their faces.
“We’ve all become very good friends,” Crawford said. “Typically after every game, we’ll go out and grab something to eat and the two teams will hang out together.”
Those are just a few, but if you ask Tourkakis, the league’s benefits are endless.
“This competitive play keeps us healthy,” Tourkakis said. “The love, the joy, the friendship – and we stay fit.”
This past Friday, the team gathered at Crawford’s house to celebrate the championship victory. Adding the food was extra tasty because of all the Greek and Italian influence, the smiles continued.
“Everybody showed up, so that was a lot of fun,” Crawford, who still has leftovers, said. “A good time was had by all,” Crawford said.
Tourkakis thanks the town of Lynnfield, particularly the recreation commission that runs the fields. Both he, Crawford, and the rest of the Olympians can’t wait for more soccer in the near-future.
