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Jean Duffy

@soccergranniesbook.bsky.social
49 followers 44 following 114 posts

We all need a little inspiration . . . Look no further than the South African Soccer Grannies! Proud to share their story.

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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Thanks to Kyle for welcoming me to discuss my fitness journey and the South African Soccer Grannies on The Active Life Podcast. www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4pf... Sending wishes for BIG fun to my teammates and all the competitors at the Huntsman World Senior Games in just a few weeks!
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
In celebration of Women’s Month, renowned community leader and humanitarian Beka Ntsan'wisi is being featured as the "Heroine of the Week" on Munghana Lonene FM. The show celebrates her efforts driving social change, community development, and grassroots empowerment. Congratulations, Mama Beka! ❤️🎉
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Check out my friends in Cape Town! Yasmine encourages us: "Now it's your turn. Get up, dress up, and go. Age is just a number!" on Eyewitness News. ⚽❤️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4QV...
youtube.com
"Age is just a number”: Soccer Grannies take to the field
YouTube video by Eyewitness News
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The first Soccer Grannies team, started by Beka Ntsan'wisi, have inspired many other teams of older women across South Africa. I met the women from Pietermaritzburg at the 2025 Grannies World Cup. They are now in the news for recuiting older men too! ⚽❤️ witness.co.za/news/pieterm...
witness.co.za
PMB’s Soccer Grannies on recruitment drive | The Witness
The local team has flown Pietermaritzburg and the country’s flag high at numerous national and international soccer tournaments.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A soccer buddy shared this 10-minute, award winning documentary about Grannies surfing in Australia. It's never too late to try something new. Granny power!🏄‍♀️🇦🇺❤️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBmA...
youtube.com
The Granny Grommets | Award-Winning Surf Documentary | Finisterre
YouTube video by Finisterre
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Halala, Mama Beka! Halala! Three cheers for the Soccer Grannies! Beka Ntsanwisi's story wins accolades in America from the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards. ⚽🇿🇦🥇
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Thanks to Karson & Kennedy at Mix 104.1 for welcoming the Soccer Grannies to the Good Vibe Tribe. So much more I could have said, but I guess if you want to hear the whole story, you have to read the book! ⚽🇿🇦❤️ www.audacy.com/mix1041/late...
audacy.com
Good Vibe Tribe: Soccer Grannies
| Mix 104.1
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
NPR re-aired the story about the 2025 Grannies World Cup, "where you've never too old to play. But you may well be too young." It recently won a Society for Features Journalism award for being "A beautiful story beautifully told." Enjoy! www.npr.org/2026/06/14/g...
npr.org
Here's who's missing at the World Cup: Soccer-playing grannies!
The World Cup isn't the only global soccer event of note. Check out the Grannies International Football Tournament.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
A French sociologist of aging, Melisa Petit-asli, shares the story of Mama Beka on her substack Old Women Around the World ❤️ oldwomenaroundtheworldenglish.substack.com/p/mama-beka-...
oldwomenaroundtheworldenglish.substack.com
Mama Beka and the Epic Story of the Soccer Grannies
The Birth of a Movement
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
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... ❤️⚽🇿🇦
youtube.com
Never Too Old: The Soccer Grannies Movement That Started With One Kick
YouTube video by Kris Keppeler Talks about the Wisdom of Women
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
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...
npr.org
Greetings from Nyeri, Kenya, where grandmothers help coach the next generation
A group of grandmothers in central Kenya have formed a soccer team to keep fit and to give hope to a generation of teenagers — whom they sometimes outrun on the field.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
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...
youtube.com
A Brief But Spectacular take on empowering 'soccer grannies'
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
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...
youtube.com
PLAY at every age: Older women in soccer | Brandi M. Mitchell | TEDxTorrey Pines
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
"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...
dailyguidenetwork.com
Ghana Cruise Past Togo In Grannies Int’l Friendly - DailyGuide Network
A scene during the match   The Women Oldies Stars of Ghana delivered a commanding display over the weekend, defeating Togo’s Association of Femme Foot Santé 3–0 in a thrillingRead More...
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
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… #SoccerGrannies #audiobooks
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
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! ❤️⚽
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
It is a big weekend in Grannies football! Mama Beka is in Ghana supporting a friendly game between Ghana and Togo ❤️⚽🇬🇭🇹🇬
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
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...
sowetan.co.za
WATCH | Rewriting the rules of ageing: grannies’ soccer leads the way
In a Soweto neighbourhood where most people would be taking it easy in their golden years, Vuka Grannies FC is rewriting the rules of ageing
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
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...
goworldtravel.com
A 120-Mile Hike Through the Alps: One Woman’s Ups and Downs
This two-week hike from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn pushed me past every fear I had. Here's what happened on the other side.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Four South African Grannies teams traveled to Mozambique this weekend for a football reunion! 🇲🇿🇿🇦⚽❤️ #ActiveAging #soccersisters
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
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...
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
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...
witness.co.za
PODCAST | Still got game: PMB's soccer grannies kicking back against ageing | The Witness
What began as a small fitness initiative has grown into a movement of women who refuse to be defined by age, circumstance, or diagnosis.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
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! 📚📚📚
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
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! ⚽❤️
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
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.”
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
"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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
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. 👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
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! ⚽🇿🇦❤️⚽🇿🇦❤️⚽🇿🇦❤️
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Looks like SO much fun. Grannies in Singapore are playing water polo! www.nytimes.com/.../singapor...
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
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...
un.org
World Football Day | United Nations
World Football Day strives to foster global support for sports, particularly football, as a means to advance peace, development, the empowerment of women and girls, and the attainment of Sustainable D...
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
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...
shethepeople.tv
Soccer Grannies: Redefining Old Age, One Kick At A Time
The Grannies International Football Tournament challenges age stereotypes, showing that older women can stay active, break barriers, and find joy in sports.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Great article by Ryan Lenora Brown: South Africa’s ‘soccer grannies’ take the field for kicks and camaraderie ⚽🇿🇦❤️ www.csmonitor.com/World/Making...
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
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...
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
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
chinadaily.com.cn
Goal-den oldies are on top of the world
Mbele Nonhlanhla laced up her silver soccer boots as her coach shouted encouragement to players with creaky knees, stiff backs and labored breathing in a dressing room in South Africa's far north.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
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...
bostonglobe.com
Meet the team of soccer ‘grannies’ from Mass. who took a world tournament by storm - The Boston Globe
At the Grannies International Football Tournament in South Africa, a chance to prove any doubters wrong.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
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
npr.org
A world soccer tournament made for grandmothers
A world soccer tournament for 'grannies' has wrapped up. The annual event allows women from all over the world to show off and be appreciated for their athleticism. Some participants are well into the...
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
"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...
oldwomenaroundtheworldenglish.substack.com
Unity in Diversity: the Grannies International Football Tournament
When it is game day in Tzaneen, South Africa, during the Grannies International Football Tournament - dedicated for women over fifty - everybody dances, everybody sings, everybody comes as they are.
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
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
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Jean Duffy @soccergranniesbook.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
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
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