As previousy reported in earlier in the Sports pages of this Newspaper, a new type of football for older footballers – Walking Football for those aged 50+ – has been introduced recently by the England Football Association and is taking hold locally.
HWFC 50+ Football, Fun and Friendship – From Ian ‘Hawkeye’ Radford
Walking Football has captured the imagination of many football supporters across the country and HWFC have moved quickly (no pun intended) to offer this brand of football. The Club has been surprised at the amount of interest shown already.
Shaun Gale, who has run the Community Team at the Hawks for many years as well as his Assistant Managers job with the First Team, is the man with a plan for this new branch of the game. He said to Postcode “Many older supporters have enjoyed long local football careers before time has caught up with them. This new brand of football brings together the team spirit they witnessed at a younger age and is a good excuse to get out of the house and have some fun with your matesâ€.
After just three weeks the Hawks have Eleven players signed up for the walking squad, which play on a smaller pitch with smaller goals. The ‘lads’ meet up at Westleigh Park at 11.00am on Thursday mornings and anybody is welcome to join. Already friendships have been forged and a strong team spirit has developed with laughter an important part of ‘training’.
The rules are quickly learned and the hardest part of the game initially is trying to stop breaking into a run. After each hour long session a cup of tea (or something a little stronger) is partaken in the Westleigh, where talk soon turns to football.
Such is their popularity the squad players now have their own section on the HWFC Official Website with their photos and player profiles displayed just like the First Team. Plans are being made to increase the number of training sessions to include an evening session as many potential HWFC 50+ players work full-time and can’t train during the day.
The club is making arrangements for the squad to start playing a few rival clubs after a few more weeks training. These will probably start as one off friendly matches followed hopefully by a little tournament in the not too distant future.
If you would like to join in the fun or know somebody who may be interested don’t be afraid to come along as the ‘lads’ are very welcoming. More details can be found on the Official HWFC Website where contact details are just a mouse click away.
Any local business or organisation who would be keen to sponsor the shirts have a unique opportunity to join a new concept of the game which is sure to attract plenty of attention. There is certain to be a diverse crowd when the team start to play their matches with WAGS (wives and girlfriends), children and grandchildren all likely to turn up and cheer their loved ones on.
Sports editors note: A Walking Football team has already been established at Emsworth and an inaugural tournament is being planned by the Emsworth Team, to be held at Emsworth Recreation Ground on Sunday 19 October. There has been interest in playing in the event from teams from other parts of the country.
Other local Walking Football teams have been formed at Hayling Island (the Hayling Island Old Boys) and all are welcome to join. The venue is Hayling College – PO11 ONU – Every thursday commencing at 1700 hours.
A team has also been formed at Horndean and another is being formed at Selsey. Details of the Walking Football venues available in the area, their playing days and kick-off times are available from ‘Topsy’ Turner at info@innovationsfitness.co.uk or tel: 07800 683367.
Topsy Turner can also give up to date details of the kick-off times and venue for the Emsworth team as it may move indoors for the winter at the Warblington School.