As we stood around, hoping against hope, the conversation turned to the obvious. Were we, the old boys, playing Russian roulette by continuing to play well into our 40s, 50s, or in many cases 60s? In recent seasons I've played with two former Socceroos, Ernie Campbell and Jimmy Fraser. They're 66 and 67, respectively. Are they mad? Are we all mad? No we're not.

Over-35 and over-45 competitions have exploded in the last two decades. Not that long ago, you had to retire in your 30s because there was simply no competitions to play in. Last year, there were 25,000 registered Masters players in NSW alone, around 10 per cent of the entire player base. It is not just park footballers who continue to live the dream - the number of ex-Socceroos, ex-NSL, and now ex-A-League players, strapping on their boots is astounding.

A few weeks ago 40,000 people showed up at ANZ Stadium to watch the Socceroos and Liverpool Old Boys. Clearly Masters football is here to stay. As it should. The benefits - physically, mentally, socially - far outweigh the risks. The challenge is to minimise those risks as much as humanly possible.

That's exactly what Andy Paschalidis, the former SBS/Fox Sports presenter, is campaigning for. Paschalidis has just quit full-time work to lobby for defibrillators to be owned by every club in NSW. It is a fantastic gesture on his part, and one we should all support.

Right now, the numbers of defibrillators are inexcusably low. In the last two seasons, 10 Masters players have died of heart attacks during matches in NSW, eight of those in Sydney. As well, an unknown number of players have died post-game and even after training. A defibrillator is no guarantee, but according to cardiologist and Masters player Dr Shiva Roy, it does raise the chances of survival dramatically.