Westbury Walking Football

ARE you over 50? Do you want to get back into football, or play it for the first time? Walking Football is now in Westbury.

The rules are simple; over 50s male or female, no running, no overhead allowed and minimal physical contact.

Walking Football sessions for the over 50s are held at the Leighton Recreation Centre on every second Tuesday evening of the month at 8.00pm. A kit has also been donated for when Wiltshire Walking football enter tournaments.

The kit proved to be a great success in the first couple of outings, with two teams entering a Walking Football tournament in Bristol and finishing 1st and 2nd, coming home with a trophy.

Tony Norton who is the lead volunteer/organiser said, “It’s given so many people a chance to play the game they love and thought their playing days were over.

“All our sessions are friendly, recreational sessions and part of the FA ‘just play’ scheme, so turn up, pay and play. On top of the recreational sessions, we do have a small group of players who want more competitive games, so we enter local, national and international competitions. We have just returned from Almelo in Holland where 10 players and their wives spent 4 days and the team finished a very respectable 4th out of a strong field of 32 European teams.”

Walking football in Wiltshire is open to all male and females over 50, regardless of ability, and it provides a great way to become active, tackle loneliness and play a team sport again.

They have males and females aged from 50 right through to 83 playing at indoor and outdoor venues, daytime, evening and weekends. There are 13 sessions around Wiltshire including Westbury, Melksham, Corsham, Calne, Chippenham, Devizes and Trowbridge. For full details check out their Facebook page “Wiltshire Walking Football” or contact Tony Norton at wiltshirewalkingfootball@aol.co.uk