England over-75s captain awarded commemorative cap

An islander who made his 15th international appearance for the England over-75s football team has been awarded a commemorative cap.

Geoff Martel, 81, from Guernsey, was presented with the honour by manager Ken Pollock.

It comes after he captained the Silver Lions in their 3-2 penalty shootout win over Germany in July, which marked the 60th anniversary of the 1966 World Cup Final.

Martel said "it's always special playing for England" and the cap a reminder of just "how nice" it is to represent his country at that level.

The team play regular 11-a-side football, which Martel said some people "find it hard to believe that at our age we can still do it".

He said the game was the "hardest to date" since he was first selected to represent England in 2022.

"We showed when we played the Germans, who are very fit as well, that we can still play at our age and for 90 minutes," Martel said.

He said the island's facilities helped him maintain his football at the highest level.

Martel said he could not have reached this level without the "excellent facilities at the Aztech Centre and Victoria Park" to train and play, as competition for places was "stronger than ever" following the formation of a reserve team.

He said he felt the island still continued to "punch well above its weight" in "all sorts of sports".

Guernsey's Alex Scott made his England debut against Czech Republic on 29 September while Maya Le Tissier, who plays for Manchester United, currently has 14 senior Three Lions caps since her debut in 2022.

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