An amateur football team founded in the 1960s is preparing for its 100th match abroad – a remarkable milestone for a side that once played in front of 65,000 fans.
Grasmere Rovers, started by Christopher Davies, 81, has toured the globe since 1963, playing everywhere from Mexico’s Azteca Stadium to China and Cuba.
Christopher, from Stockport, is now rallying sponsorship to send a U21s team to Seattle in June.
“It’s been quite a story,” he said, recalling memorable games, brushes with football legends and even an encounter with Ronnie Biggs in Brazil.
Grasmere Rovers, started by Christopher Davies, 81, has toured the globe since 1963, playing everywhere from Mexico’s Azteca Stadium to China and Cuba.
Christopher, from Stockport, is now rallying sponsorship to send a U21s team to Seattle in June.
“It’s been quite a story,” he said, recalling memorable games, brushes with football legends and even an encounter with Ronnie Biggs in Brazil.
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FunTranscript
00:00Well, this is my memory room. This is where there's so many photographs of going back over many, many years as to what we've done, where we've been.
00:08Hello, my name is Chris Davies. I started a local amateur football team going back in the 60s.
00:14And even though we play locally on park pitches, my aim was to take the team abroad and play football in foreign countries.
00:23We got to the point now where we're four games short of 100 games abroad.
00:27We started in Holland and Belgium, and we went from there to play all over the world.
00:33We had many experiences of meeting people, playing big games in big stadiums.
00:40And our past has been superb in the fact that it's all been so successful.
00:57To end up four games short of 100 games is something that isn't quite right somehow.
01:08And some pals of mine have been in touch and said, we must get the 100th game for you.
01:14So cutting along on a story short, we're going over to Seattle in June this year to play four more games that will bring us up to the 100th.
01:24Gordon Hill, the X-Man United player, is over there, lives over there.
01:28He's got the teams. I've got a pal of mine over here who's going to get another 21 college team or university team to come with us.
01:37And we hope to play, well, we don't hope to play, we will play the four games in Seattle in June this year.
01:45It's really a world thing where we've been to many places.
01:48We've done 30 countries now all over the world.
01:52And then all the photographs of going to different parts of the world.
01:58That one there is in Brazil where we play Vasco da Gama, one of their big teams over there.
02:04Then we met, later on, we met Jairzino in Brazil.
02:10We met Gandhi in India.
02:13There we are introduced by Gandhi.
02:17And, of course, all the photographs of different places like the Taj Mahal there, orbiting the pyramid in Egypt.
02:25There's the river of the River Kwai in Thailand.
02:28And, really, it's a world thing, really.
02:32There's a quarter-tie to how.
02:34And, hopefully, we've got four more games to go.
02:38And we'll get the 100th game.
02:40And then I'll be happy.