Kris Keppeler (@kriskeppeler.bsky.social), host of the Wisdom of Women, shared our conversation about resilience, late-blooming courage, and what’s possible when you simply refuse to believe it’s too late. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LNb... ❤️⚽🇿🇦

Meet Granny Gayisa! "I want to continue playing soccer, and I won't stop until I can't run nor walk anymore. I find help and happiness from the team." ⚽🇿🇦❤️ Soccer Grannies is now available as an audiobook! More at JeanDuffy.com/audiobook #SoccerGrannies #audiobooks

Greetings from Nyeri, Kenya . . . At 72, Ann Wanjugu, in the center of this photo, is the oldest. "Before, I could do a little work and get tired," she says. "Now there are changes. I feel fit and I will not stop." www.npr.org/2026/03/18/g...

Beka's heartwarming piece from December on how the Soccer Grannies phenomenon started was re-aired on PBS NewsHour Brief but Spectacular last night! Go Beka! Go Grannies! ⚽🇿🇦❤️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymJU...

Thank you to Brandi Friedrich Mitchell for being an outstanding advocate for older women's soccer. Watch her TED talk! www.youtube.com/watch?v=izWg...

"Organised to strengthen bonds of friendship, promote sportsmanship and advance women’s football between Ghana and Togo, the match lived up to its billing as a celebration of passion and experience." dailyguidenetwork.com/ghana-cruise...

Meet Granny Omo! Omo considers her children and grandchildren to be blessings. "God did not bring us into this world to live as islands. We are born to help one another." ⚽🇿🇦❤️ Soccer Grannies is now available as an audiobook! More at JeanDuffy.com/audio…#SoccerGranniese#audiobooksks

Meanwhile, the Vakhegula Vakhegula women are playing are a curtain raiser at the COSAFA (Council of Southern Africa Football Associations) Women's Championship. Go Grannies! ❤️⚽

It is a big weekend in Grannies football! Mama Beka is in Ghana supporting a friendly game between Ghana and Togo ❤️⚽🇬🇭🇹🇬

Rewriting the rules of aging: Grannies soccer leads the way! The spotlight shines brightest on 80-year-old striker Fikile Marishane. “There’s nothing I love more than a penalty. I hit it straight into the corner. When they expect me to go right, I go left.” ❤️⚽️🇿🇦 www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-02...

Meet Granny Norah! "I wake up early. I stretch and jog about five kilometers. I take care of my grandchildren. I bathe them, cook for them, and feed them. Just like that life goes on." ⚽🇿🇦❤️ Soccer Grannies is now available as an audiobook! More at JeanDuffy.com/audiobook #SoccerGrannies #audiobooks

Meet Granny Bull! At age 64, Bull started playing soccer. "We were younger then; we were playing like nobody else, and no team could beat us. Football has really helped me a lot." ⚽🇿🇦❤️ Soccer Grannies is now available as an audiobook! More at JeanDuffy.com/audiobook #SoccerGrannies #audiobooks

Last year we lost one of my teammates to ovarian cancer. Please be aware of the symptoms as early detection is key to better outcomes. Yesterday we had a tournament and raised over $12,000 to donate to HERA in Mary Ann's name to help find a cure. Soccer buddies rock! www.herafoundation.org/donate

At age 66 with creaky, arthritic knees and a fear of heights, I undertook a challenging two-week hike in the Alps. My husband’s idea of a dream vacation induced nightmares for me, but off I went. 🥾🏔️ Thanks to @goworldtravel.bsky.social for publishing my essay! www.goworldtravel.com/hike-alps-wo...

Meet Granny Khune! Khune is happiest when she meets the other women on the pitch to play football. She knows it’s something of a feat to be playing soccer at her age and is proud of it.⚽🇿🇦❤️ Soccer Grannies is now available as an audiobook! More at JeanDuffy.com/audiobook #SoccerGrannies #audiobooks

Four South African Grannies teams traveled to Mozambique this weekend for a football reunion! 🇲🇿🇿🇦⚽❤️ #ActiveAging #soccersisters

The Dock Bookshop in Fort Worth TX is hosting a series of called the "Road to the Cup - Futbol 2026" on how the game ignites human spirit across nations. Soccer Grannies will be featured on Wed 12/10 at 12pm in TX, 1pm in MA and 7pm in South Africa ⚽❤️🇿🇦 Details at thedockbookshop.com/event/2025-1...

Our friends from South Africa, the Pietermaritzburg Soccer Grannies, talk about their first year of soccer! The game has taken them to Mauritius and Limpopo and their sights are set on Bali. Beyond travel, they embrace life with new "pride, purpose, and laughter." ❤️⚽🇿🇦 witness.co.za/news/2025/11...

Meet Granny Rossina! Although Rossina was born in 1941, she looks younger than you might expect for someone in her venerable eighties. Maybe it’s her sporting lifestyle?⚽🇿🇦❤️ Soccer Grannies is now available as an audiobook! More at JeanDuffy.com/audiobook #SoccerGrannies #AudioBook

Get a head start on your holiday shopping! Check out the Arlington Book Fair, Saturday, November 8th 2:00-5:00, at the Roasted Granola Cafe, 1346 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA. Twenty local authors will be available to sign books including Bev Stohl, Laura Beretsky, and yours truly! 📚📚📚

Meet Mama Beka! She is a highly praised community activist and the founder of the Vakhegula-Vakhegula football team . . . affectionately known as the Soccer Grannies. ⚽🇿🇦❤️ Soccer Grannies is now available as an audiobook! More at JeanDuffy.com/audiobook #SoccerGrannies #AudioBook

In 2007 Beka Ntsanwisi formed a soccer team of older women. They improved their health and formed a vibrant new community of support. Now almost 20 years later, hundreds of teams of grandmothers play soccer across Africa. One woman can change the world! ⚽❤️

Melissa-Asli Petit reflected on the Grannies World Cup in “Soccer Brings Joy!” ⚽🥰 oldwomenaroundtheworldenglish.substack.com/p/soccer-bri... “With age, many challenges arise. Playing soccer means you no longer feel alone, you can forget your problems on the field, and encourage each other.”

"Soccer Grannies" book is now available to listen to on Audible, Spotify, and more! I hope I’ve done justice to the voices and spirit of these extraordinary women. All proceeds will be donated to the Beka Ntsanwisi Foundation. ⚽🇿🇦 More details are on my website, jeanduffy.com/audiobook/ #audiobook

The lauded humanitarian Beka Ntsan'wisi has been busy, busy. She held an event for the elderly providing food donations and eye checks, celebrated a milestone birthday for one of the Nkowankowa players, and is promoting cancer awareness. 👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️

One week from today! On Friday 9/26 at noon the Ingalls Memorial Library has arrangerd a Soccer Grannies "Lunch & Learn" event at the Meeting House, 6 Payson Hill Road in Rindge NH. Would love to see you there! ⚽🇿🇦❤️⚽🇿🇦❤️⚽🇿🇦❤️

On Tuesday 7/22/25 at 1pm, I return to the town where I kicked my first soccer ball! I'll talk about my favorite soccer-playing grandmothers at the Community Center at 39 Marrett Road in Lexington, MA. ❤️⚽🇿🇦 Please register at: lexrecma.myrec.com/info/activit... LexingtonHumanServices #BookEvent

Come out to the Arlington Author Salon on Thursday 7/10/25 at 7:30pm at the Kickstand Cafe in Arlington, MA. I will be joined by fellow authors, Milo Todd and Rebecca Root, for a special event with the theme of "Finding your Strength." #BookEvent #StrongerTogether

Just finished "My Beautiful Sisters." Khalida Popal bravely shares the life threatening struggles that women face playing soccer in Afghanistan. I can tell you it was hard to read, but eye opening and inspiring as well. Thank you, Khalida, for sharing your story. bookstagram #bookreview

Looks like SO much fun. Grannies in Singapore are playing water polo! www.nytimes.com/.../singapor...

Yesterday was World Football Day! "Football's broad appeal and accessibility make it a potent tool for promoting health and well-being. It has also served as a vital platform for advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls, both on and off the field." ⚽✌️❤️ www.un.org/en/observanc...

Love the final lines of this @shethepeople.bsky.social piece . . . "Passion, curiosity, and play don’t expire with age. If anything, these grannies show us that the second half of life might just be the most exciting chapter of all." ❤️⚽🇿🇦 #soccergrannies www.shethepeople.tv/lifestyle/gr...

Great article by Ryan Lenora Brown: South Africa’s ‘soccer grannies’ take the field for kicks and camaraderie ⚽🇿🇦❤️ www.csmonitor.com/World/Making...

One week from today . . . Saturday May 10 at 11am, I will be at the East Somerville Library 📚(Somerville Public Library (MA)) at 115 Broadway. A fun mother's day outing? Bring your mother! Bring your daugther! ❤️⚽🇿🇦❤️ Please register: somervillepubliclibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/soc...

Check out the China Daily coverage: "Goal-den oldies are on top of the world Sore knees, selfies and a sexagenarian goal machine: The recent Grannies International Football Tournament had it all" www.chinadaily.com.cn/.../WS68140d.... #SoccerGrannies

Johannesburg journalist Ryan Brown landed this piece in our own @bostonglobe.com. Great photos by @ilangodfrey.bsky.social. ❤️⚽🇿🇦🇺🇸⚽❤️ www.bostonglobe.com/2025/05/01/m...

Congratulations to journalist Ryan Brown for bringing her piece, "A world soccer tournament made for grandmothers," to the airwaves of @NPR All Things Considered!! ❤️⚽🇿🇦 www.npr.org/2025/04/25/n... #soccergrannies #womenssoccer

"No matter their status or identity, they are football player, equal on the field. They find joy, happiness and friendship... So let’s celebrate this game, because we all need to see more women over fifty taking part in sport." ❤️⚽ oldwomenaroundtheworldenglish.substack.com/p/unity-in-d...

Jonathan Ball Publishers and @exclusivebooks.bsky.social hosted a Soccer Grannies book event! The Cape Town Grannies team, photographer Tessa Gordon, and US teammates shared soccer stories. Get a copy at exclusivebooks.co.za/products/979... 📚⚽🇿🇦❤️ Photos: ML Dymski, L Peverada, Jonathan Ball

I can’t resist the adorable faces of children. 38% of all children in South Africa live with their grandparents, and 64% of those have a grandmother as head of household. Some are energetic soccer playing grandmothers! ❤️ Photo thanks to Ching Lai, Elizabeth Meyer, and yours truly

I am grateful for WhatsApp messages and calls to stay connected, but a hug is WAY better! Was a thrill to be reunited with my friends that I have known for 15 years - back to when the Grannies visited America! ❤️⚽🇿🇦🇺🇸⚽❤️ Photo credits: Richard of Ilios Travel, Heather Broglio, and me! #soccergrannies

My teammate, Alison Higgs, had a lovely idea: “Mama Beka had her birthday during the tournament. I brrought a canvas and paints. I asked all the players to add their fingerprints. Even if they did not speak English, I just said “for Mama Beka” and everyone wanted to do it.” ❤️🎨❤️

Nowhere was the celebratory spirit stronger than radiating from the stands. The refrain of this catchy melody translate to “Do you know Mama Beka? There is no one like her.” ❤️❤️❤️ Thanks to videographer Alison Higgs!

The celebratory spirit of the event was palpable. Les Reines du Foot player, Karine Van den Eynde, shared her perspective, “Sport sparks connection, courage, and celebration.” It’s all about “honoring the journey we've taken together.” ❤️❤️❤️ Photo credits: Nhlangula's Angle / View and AFPphoto

GOOOOAAAALLL!!! Ching Lai caught the goal by US player Ann Atamian of the New England Breakers. ⚽🇺🇸#soccergrannies #womenssoccer

The Grannies Tournament attracted teams worldwide with a shared passion for soccer and active aging. I observed the skill level across the teams was markedly higher than two years ago! ❤️⚽💪🏾⚽❤️ Thanks to Richard of Ilios Travel and AFPphoto for the action shots! #soccergrannies #womenssoccer

The parade had outbreaks of merry mayhem! This South African song is associated with migrant miners and the hardships they faced. Singing and dancing, like soccer, allow people to connect without speaking the same language. 🎼💃 Thanks Alison Higgs for the lively video. #soccergrannies #Shosholoza

A parade through Nkowankowa started with greeting Beka’s parents. Teams from South Africa, France, Kenya, Mozambique, Togo, and the USA then processed to the stadium. The Zambia team arrived the following day. 🇿🇦🇫🇷🇰🇪🇲🇿🇹🇬🇿🇲🇺🇸 Photo thanks to Nhlangula Sithole and Susan Kochinskas #womenssoccer

We visited the Muhlava Royal Palace. The chief presides over villages including Nkowankowa. Highlights: Beka’s heartfelt speech, the announcement of Kenya as the 2027 tournament host, and greeting the chief. A cow was slaughtered to feed all!👑🇿🇦🇰🇪 Photos: Susan Kochinskas, Nhlangula Sithole

Beka Ntsanwisi’s original team of “soccer grannies” formed in 2006. These women broke down social barriers and paved the way for older women to improve their health, build strong communities, and have fun! ⚽🇿🇦♥️ Thanks to Richard of Ilios Travel for the photo of the 2006 team. #WomensSoccer