Mark Bellingham has been named in an 18-man England Veterans Over-50s squad for a Republic of Ireland clash, giving the 50-year-old former non-league striker a chance to pull on an England shirt for the first time.
The call-up is a notable milestone for Bellingham, who turned 50 in March and retired from playing in 2019. He has continued to feature regularly in veterans competitions since then, and this selection now puts him in line for an England appearance after a long football career that stretched across 22 different clubs.
Where and when England Veterans play
England Veterans announced its squads for a double helping of international football against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday 1st November in Cambridgeshire. The Over-50s will kick off at 2:15pm at the Elite Football Complex, while the Over-60s are scheduled to follow at 4:15pm at the same venue.
For Bellingham, the selection adds another unusual chapter to a family story already deeply tied to English football. By joining an England Veterans side, he follows in the footsteps of his two sons, Jude Bellingham and Jobe Bellingham, who have already established their own paths on the international stage. The family connection also gives this call-up a broader significance beyond one veteran fixture.
Bellingham’s playing background includes spells with Cheltenham Town and Newport County in the late 1990s, while his highest appearance totals came with Leamington between 2008 and 2009 and with Bromsgrove Sporting in 2014. He also had a 17-year spell in the game before retiring, underlining how long he remained part of the football landscape before this latest opportunity arrived.
It is a simple development, but an unusual one: a 50-year-old former striker now getting his first England call-up in veterans football. For England Veterans, it adds an extra storyline to an already scheduled international double-header against the Republic of Ireland. For Bellingham, it is a personal milestone that brings his journey with the national setup full circle.
For more on the family background, see Jobe Bellingham and Mark Bellingham, Denise Bellingham’s jobs revealed.
