I play for two teams, Brackley Old Saints & Bicester Fossils. My favourite position is centre midfield but I’m happy to play anywhere to get a game!
I have always been a sporty person playing football, cricket, basketball and athletics when at school. I actuallly ran for Merseyside in The England Schools Athletics Championships. I wanted to be a PE instructor when I left school but somehow ended up working for a bank!!
I packed in playing ‘proper’ football for my local pub team when I was 42. Although I’ve played the occasional 5 a side game since, I haven’t played regularly until I took up Walking Football when I was 57 some two and half years ago now.
I got into Walking Football when I was made redundant. I wanted to keep active and found the sport on my local club, Brackley Town FCs website. I was made very welcome by Mark Craddock who runs the team and I have played there regularly on Tuesdays and Fridays for the past two and a half years. Last year a couple of the lads who I played with and who lived in nearby Bicester wanted to set up their own local team so I went along to their sessions to help them build their team up. I now play there on Mondays and Wednesdays, they number over 50 now and it’s their first anniversary on the 10th April, so in total I play four times a week and I love it. Steve Payne and Jim Webb have done a great job at Bicester over the past 12 months.
The age range at both clubs goes from a few early 50s to a few mid 70s, the majority being in their early to late 60s. Although open to both men and women we are yet to have our first female player at either club. We play a mix of rules, to be honest I find the different sets of rules confusing. Obviously no running or should I say try not to run which is hard. I compare a footballer with a ball to a greyhound with a rabbit…….it’s hard not to chase the ball, no over head height and minimal contact. We play both three touch and normal football although three touch tends to be played when we are preparing for a three touch tournament. The rules surrounding the goal keeper are fluid to say the least.
I love the exercise and the competitive nature of the games. Although I like to win it’s more to do with taking part and having a laugh with the lads…..scoring the odd goal gives me an added buzz.After having approx 3 months out after having a hernia repair and separately a badly strained calf muscle I now ALWAYS warm up by stretching and exercising for about 5 mins before playing.
Brackley Old Saints in Portugal. I’m holding the ball and the bloke to my right as you look at the photo with the grey hair is Peter Cosentino who had the cardiac arrest
As regards tournaments Brackley Old Saints play annually in Albuferia, Portugal and as I am writing this I’m really looking forward to flying out there with the lads tomorrow. We got to the semi finals last year and were beaten 1 0 by the eventual winners Sheffield United, that’s my Walking Football highlight so far. I also play for Bicester Fossils in the Thames Valley League held at Bisham on the second Sunday of the month. That league is very competitive, we were actually robbed of two points with a disallowed goal two weeks ago but let’s not go there. I also play for Brackley in a few other tournaments mainly in the summer months.
Whilst the daily sessions and the tournaments are social in themselves at Bicester we have a Social Secretary namely Jim Webb. His aim is to have something in the calendar every moth. So far we’ve been indoor bowling, had a pub quiz, played foot golf, been gokarting. We also had our first Christmas party last December and this years is already in the calendar. No doubt the rest of this years social calendar will be filled up shortly.
I wouldn’t say my diet has changed significantly but I drink less alcohol than I used to. I’ve actually lost near two stone in weight over the past two and a half years, I’d put that purely down to the exercise……I haven’t been this fit since my mid 30s.
My worst moment playing Walking Football and probably one of the worst moments in my life happened on Sunday 23rd September last year when tragically one of my team mates had a cardiac arrest during a tournament. Despite efforts by a couple of other players and me,using CPR and a defibrillator, we were unable to save Pete. A lovely bloke even though he supported Man United!! Pete was also part of my best moment in Walking Football in Portugal. Very very sad, I keep in touch with Pete’s wife Mandy who supports my team Liverpool as does Tom his son.Tom occasionally comes down to play in goal at Brackley, although only in his 30s he’s more than welcome.
Bicester Fossils at Bisham Abbey.
On the back of what happened to Pete I’m now quite active in supporting a local charity in Brackley called Do It For Defib who are a team of qualified health professionals who provide CPR & defibrillator training to the public.I’ve organised two training sessions at Brackley Town FC, the charity asks for a £10 donation with all funds going towards the purchase and upkeep of defibrillators placed around Brackley. Twenty Brackley players and eight Bicester players have now taken the course so the tiny ray of light out of this tragedy is that we are well covered in hopefully the unlikely event this happens again.
As long as I’m able to I’ll play Walking Football, probably until I drop (sorry Pete). It costs me around £15 in total per week, just think how much a gym membership would cost. For anyone looking at taking up Walking Football I’d say go along, have a look, you don’t have to participate…there’s no pressure.I play with all ages and fitnesses from the blokes who don’t move about much to the more athletic…..no one is judging you. You can then go on and play in tournaments if you want to. What I have seen are blokes who over time have improved both physically and football skills wise, skills they thought they’d lost many year ago.It’s also great for your general well being.
This may sound a bit OTT but I look back now and wonder how I would have managed without Walking Football in my life when I retired and all the benefits it’s brought me……..maybe this time next year I’ll be an Over 60 England International…….you can still have dreams and aspirations at this time of life LOL.
Author: The Walking Football
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