Gran Alacant´s Walking Football Team
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Walking Football Team for Oldies, Gran Alacant
Gran Alacant´s Website attended the first night of the Walking Football Team and caught up with one of the oldies, the organiser, Barry Lane who explains how it began…
`Having hit the ripe old age of seventy the body was starting to seize up. I always played football in my youth and wondered if anybody would be interested in starting up a walking football club.
In years gone by I started a local football club running two teams and managing it for six years so had a bit of experience behind me. I put the word out for `oldie footballers´ on social media and through what used to be our magazine the Gran Alacant Advertiser.
As volunteers or `victims´ answer I made up an email list to keep everyone up to date with the progress. Everyone then had to be emailed about what day and time suited them best. Eventually Thursday 5pm start until 6pm was agreed…
…then we had to book the pitch. I spoke with the person there and had to fill in a form and take it to Santa Pola to the town hall. After having the form stamped I had to take it back to the sports centre where I then had to meet up later with a guy there who gave me another form which I had to take to the bank and pay 18euro for the one hour hire time. I then had to take the receipt from the bank, back to the sports centre. At last all was ready for the first night.
The first night was such a success that we have all decided to book the facility for every week going forward. We played for ten minute intervals. A few of us fell over including me, three times just because the legs had forgotten how to work properly, the most important thing is that nobody got hurt. `The no tackling rule helped that.´
One of the players on this first night, was doing a referee course in England and the football governing body FIFA gave him two match balls for him to donate to a worthy cause, and guess what he donated them to us, the new walking football team for oldies, on Gran Alacant. How nice was that!´
Contact Us
If you would like to take part in the Walking Football Club as few or as many times to wish, just email Barry for all the updates at [email protected]
Every Thursday from 5pm until 6pm. With refreshments afterwards at a local bar.
Gran Alacant Sports Centre.
Sessions take place at our wonderful sports centre facility in Gran Alacant.
