I were to run with you I would beat you even though I 'm much older , '' she said , throwing down the gauntlet to the likes of Ronaldo , Messi et al. . `` My life has improved because of the football . I wish God could bless the person who came up with this great idea . '' The women contribute around $ 1 a month each for footballs , kit , and travel to the bi-annual regional tournament . Dozens of noisy fans cheer on the players , with the distinctive sound of the vuvuzelas -- a South African trumpet -- creating an atmosphere that would be welcome at any European Champions League tie . Makhubela is hoping her new-found love of the game extends long enough for her to be able to watch some of the matches when the World Cup begins in June . `` I pray every day to God to keep me alive until 2010 . I would really love to watch the games , '' she said . The team was formed three years ago to offer older women a chance to exercise and come together as a group , says
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It seems no-one in South Africa can fail to be gripped by World Cup football fever . The running , tackling , shooting , offside-appealing proof comes with a clutch of grannies who have been playing in a fiercely competitive league around the Nkowankowa township , 600 kilometers north of Johannesburg . A squad of 35 nans down domestic duties twice a week to take to the field for their team Vakhegula Vakhegula , and compete against seven other teams in the region . Some of them even credit the beautiful game as having turned their lives around . `` I like to play soccer because it helps , '' said Nari Baloyi , who at 47-years-old , clocks in as one of the youngest players . `` We were sick , but now our temperatures , our blood pressures ... have gone down ... even our doctors are amazed when we go for a check-up . '' One of the more elderly members , Nora Makhubela , is convinced that football has given her a new lease of life following the setback of suffering six strokes . `` My life has really changed ... if