Metal band Iron Maiden, Indy Eleven face off in soccer match

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Metal band Iron Maiden may be in town to perform this weekend, but on Friday, they were just looking to play a bit of soccer.

The band’s soccer team took on representatives for the Indy Eleven on Friday afternoon.

When they’re not singing about death and destruction, some band members like to spend a day off on the soccer field.

Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris has been playing soccer since he was 9 years old and fell in love with the sport, so as the band toured the globe, he started testing his soccer skills against the locals.

“Yeah, we try and play a game every six to seven days,” Harris said. “We’ve lost a few. We won last week, but we’ve lost a few so far. We’ve been playing some really good sides.”

Not every band member plays, though. Harris and many crew members and managers are just trying to find something different from the pyrotechnics and raging fans.

“Not a lot really, I don’t really tune up. I don’t really train, too,” Harris said. “I’ve got a bit of an injury at the moment, so I don’t want to train too much before. No, it’s not much different. You just don’t psyche yourself up into a frenzy, if that’s what you mean.”

Harris said he doesn’t normally see fans on the other side of the field, but Indy Eleven’s honorary coach, John Chope, is a megafan who has seen Iron Maiden in concert many times just this week.

“No, this would never happen and, it’s happening and I just hope you guys know who you’re interviewing,” Chope told News 8. “Steve Harris is one of the best bass players in the world! Ultimate.”

Harris says after all these years, the Iron Maiden soccer team is pretty competent and has beaten a lot of teams they face, but the superfan coaching the other team is a little hesitant about going all out.

“You don’t want to hurt him,” Chope said. “You don’t want to hurt him, but you do want to win!”

But victory isn’t the only thing on Harris’s mind. He says this is just a way he can unwind with his friends and family and enjoy a nice day off.

“We like to win,” Harris said. “We don’t like to lose. No one likes to lose, but at the end of the day, it’s about having fun and coming out here and enjoying a day out. It’s just nice to do something different of a day off.”

Iron Maiden ended up losing to the representatives from Indy Eleven.

You can check out Iron Maiden off the soccer field Saturday in Noblesville and Indy Eleven on Sunday.