Take up walking football – you could be top of the league

Footie fans aged 50-plus are invited to take part in walking football sessions which are held at Castle Leisure Centre in Bury.

The weekly sessions, run by Bury Council in partnership with Bury FC Community Trust, take place at Castle at 11.15am on Tuesdays. There’s no need to book, just turn up and play. The cost is £3.50 and it’s free for leisure centre members.

Some of the players who take part in the weekly sessions were so inspired that they formed a team, called Bury Relics, and take part in Manchester’s walking football league – at the most recent series of games they won two and drew one, putting them top of Division 3:http://manchesterwalkingfootball.uk/manchester-walking-football-september-2017

Gary Lomax, one of the team, said: “Having been playing for nearly 12 months, it is now something I look forward to each week. As much as I enjoy the football, it is also about seeing and talking with the other players before and after the game. As a result we have now formed our league team but we will still continue to support the weekly game and its members at Castle. Without the attendance of the regular players we would not have been able to get our team together. The input and support from Lee Buggie at the council and Donna Godwyn at the community trust has been excellent and we could not have done this without them.”

And fellow player Andy Quayle added: “I think we all wondered what walking football was about, but we soon found out at Castle Leisure Centre. I met like-minded people who want to play football again, although we are a lot slower than we used to be. Soon the numbers started to grow and was not too long before we all were looking forward to playing. The bonds of friendship started to form within the group, so the banter flows as well as us getting a workout. Then the chance came to take part in a competition, so we decide to see what the competition was like. One team I spoke to came from Wakefield to compete - we played them, and what a well-drilled team they were – who had been playing for more than two years, but there was nothing being organised in their area so they decided to enter the competition here.

“I enjoyed the tournament and had fun, and my team mates would agree with me.

“To sum up, walking football is a great way to get out, get some exercise, meet people and interact with them. I would say, come down and try it – we have all ages and skill levels here, and the more players the merrier.”

There’s no need to book for the Castle Leisure Centre games, just turn up and play. The cost is £3.50, and it’s free for leisure centre members.

ENDS

Press release issued: 5 September 2017.

Picture: The Bury Relics, walking football team who met at sessions held at Castle Leisure Centre.