A TEAM of veteran footballers are celebrating after winning a tournament held in the Netherlands - one which is especially significant for one of the men involved.

The Barnsley FC Fit Reds Veterans have been travelling to Bergen Op Zoom in the Netherlands for four years to spread the message of the scheme and play friendly games with local sides.

But when the father of one of the men behind the scheme died in April last year, it was decided that a cup would be created to commemorate the man who had also been a professional footballer for a side local to Bergen.

And the Fit Reds Veterans, set up to give men aged 35 years and above a chance to better understood their own health and fitness, brought the trophy home after a nail-biting penalty shoot-out against local side MOC’17.

Carlo van de Watering, whose father gives the Jan van de Watering Shield its name, said: “It was a really emotional moment for me when that penalty went in. My mum, and my sister and some of my friends were watching and we all had a tear in our eye.

“Our motto at Fit Reds is ‘attitude is more important than ability’ but this win mean a lot to all of us, and for obvious reasons for me in particular.”

Last Saturday at the Rozenoord Sportspark, the Fit Reds won after a penalty shoot-out with the scores tied at 1-1.

Ten penalties were taken by each side before player-manager Paul Tindale coolly dispatched the final spot kick.

Players from the Fit Reds team and MOC’17 all made a voluntary contribution towards the stroke rehabilitation centre which cared for Carlo’s father, Jan, with ¬ 275 raised overall.

During the weekend in Bergen op Zoom the Fit Reds also visited the Commonwealth War Graves to pay their respects.

Preparations to defend the Jan Van De Watering Shield next year will be started in the next few weeks.

The Fit Reds scheme is a training programme of workshops and activities run by Reds in the Community to help people understand fitness issues and take steps to improve their own health.