78-year-old Pevensey Bay man to lead England in 1966 World Cup final rematch against Germany

Ken Pollock, 78, is player-manager of the ‘Silver Lions’ who will play the German veterans side in a commemorative game on Thursday, July 30, at Boundary Park – the home of Oldham Athletic.

Ken started playing in the England Veterans Football Club for the over-60s, and since then the team has evolved to allow him and others to continue well into their 70s – and for some, even their 80s.

The Silver Lions are made up of players some of whom have suffered from numerous health issues, including a quadruple heart bypass, a stroke and eye cancer.

However, the driving force behind the team is the importance of keeping active into your older years, with Ken hoping that encouraging physical activity can help support the NHS in turn.

“Exercise is the magic pill,” he said. “It is not only preventative, it's curative. Exercise works to fight diabetes, cancer, strokes, heart attacks, depression. It is the magic pill.

“If people could have exercise in pill form, they'd be taking it every day. It is the magic pill, and I think what we're trying to do here is to encourage people to be sensitive to that and do as much movement as they possibly can.”

Ken moved to Pevensey Bay in 2008 and is now also the President of Devonshire Park Tennis Club in Eastbourne, having formerly been the Chairman.

The 78-year-old is hoping to play as big a role as possible but admitted he is nursing a knee injury, so may be ‘leaning on the managerial role more than anything.’

He admitted: “It’s certainly easier to manage when you don’t play as well!”

The Silver Lions include over-75s from all over the country, and their manager will ensure that each player gets sufficient game time.

Adopting the hydration breaks made infamous during this World Cup, the team will also use rolling subs to get as many players out on the field as possible.

They have even had a limited edition ale brewed for them by Brentwood Brewing Co labelled ‘Golden Years’, with all proceeds going to their chosen charities.

So, 60 years on and just a week after England’s heartbreaking semi-final defeat to Argentina, can the Silver Lions bring football home?

Ken said: “I hope so, of course, but you never know. The Germans are good. They're up for it. Don't forget - the Germans have been to the final eight times. So, going to a World Cup is not such a big thing for them.

“We've only ever done it once. They've lost four times and they’ve won four times, but they've been there eight times. This time, we got the bronze medal – we're getting closer!”

Filmmaker Tracy Willits has been following the team’s journey to produce an ‘uplifting and high quality 4K documentary’.

You can read more about the documentary and help fund it here.