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Bryan Stewart, a founding member of the Wanganui Cosmos, exudes a passion for football on and off the park.
The rest of the team caught his enthusiasm and it helped them win the over 50s gold medal at Forsyth Barr Stadium yesterday.
They outplayed the Dunedin FC DeCarle team 6-2 in a one-sided final.
Stewart and Neville Groves are both 67 and are the oldest members of the team.
''We have a passion for the game and that is why we still play,'' Stewart said.
''While I can still run, I'm going to keep playing the game.''
The Cosmos do not take anything for granted and go to the gymnasium once a week as a team to maintain their fitness, and it was that, plus their mobility, that helped them thrash FC DeCarle.
They moved the ball around to probe the weakness of their opponents, a few of whom were overweight and out of condition.
The Cosmos took advantage of this.
''We knew a couple of their boys looked a bit slow at the back so we put our fittest man, Mike Cronin, up front to take advantage of that,'' founding member Trevor Strong said.
Cronin used his quick footwork to outwit the defence and scored three of the teams six goals.
This is the second time Cosmos has won the gold medal at Forsyth Barr Stadium. They beat Dunedin's Melchester Rovers 2-1 in the over 45 final two years ago.
''We always come to Dunedin with the goal of making the final and playing in the stadium,'' Stewart said.
''That's a big incentive for us. It's a great stadium.''
Cosmos was formed 32 years ago when the players were retiring out of the Central League .
''We wanted to keep playing so we formed an over 30 side,'' Strong said.
''When guys fall out of the top league they come back into the Cosmos.
''One of the benefits of masters sport is that it keeps you playing through the age grades.''
The team has played in all the Masters Games at Wanganui and has travelled to Australia. This is their second time to Dunedin.
They won the silver medal at the World Masters at Melbourne in 2002.
''As a team we just gel so well,'' Stewart said.
''We have good camaraderie and know each other's play on the park and we are great friends off the park.''
The Cosmos scored 21 goals during the tournament and only conceded two.
The best players were centre forward Mark Goodier who scored 11 goals, goal keeper Gavin Parsons with his acrobatic saves, and defender Memo Musa, who comes from Zimbabwe.
The best players in the final for FC DeCarle were goal scorers Steven Dunn and Graham Kemp, and Ray Hayes.
Fifty-four teams and 689 players competed in the three days of the football competition.