Line-up complete for Football League Trust Walking Football Cup finals

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Older footballers from nine Football League clubs are getting another chance of glory thanks to a new national football competition from the Football League Trust.

The Walking Football Cup has involved over 60 teams from throughout the country representing their local Football League club. We are now down to the last 10 teams who will take part in an exciting finals day at St George’s Park on Monday 6th July  

The ten finalists are: AFC Wimbledon, Blackpool FC, Crewe Alexandra FC, Derby County FC ‘A’, Derby County ‘B’, Leeds United FC, Norwich City FC, Plymouth Argyle FC, Swindon Town FC and York City.

Walking football is a slow-paced version of the beautiful game aimed specifically at the over 50s.

The competition is backed by football legend Jimmy Armfield, who said: “As you get older the opportunity to participate in team sports lessen – ironically at the age when you most need to keep active. Walking football is designed to help people keep an active lifestyle despite their age, as well as getting those back playing football who had to stop due to injuries. Simply playing one hour a week for three months enables players to cover 30 miles and burn 4,200 calories.”

The competition comprised of five regional events with over 60 teams competing, with the top two in each region qualifying for the finals. At the North West final Blackpool, spurred on by the presence of Jimmy Armfield, took the tittle with runners-up Crewe Alexandra joining them at the finals.

A hard fought South East final saw AFC Wimbledon win and qualify with Norwich. Home advantage proved key in the Midlands with both Derby A and B teams reaching the final and therefore qualifying. In the Yorkshire and North East region an incredibly tense final was decided by a Leeds United golden goal, however runners up York City will join them at St Georges where they’ll be looking for revenge.

The line-up was completed in the South West where Plymouth Argyle finished runners up to a very good Swindon Team.  

One of the thousands of people who are feeling the benefits of walking football, Paul Jackson from Heanor, will be representing Derby County.

He said: “I played regular 11-a-side football on Saturdays and Sundays until I was 49. I then had some health issues and found doing any sort of exercise difficult but following a couple of successful operations last year I was able to start doing some physical exercise such as swimming and gym sessions but I really missed playing football.  So I was very pleased when I heard about walking football and for me this quickly became a replacement for gym sessions and a much more enjoyable one.” 

   

Dean Grice, from the Football League Trust, said: “Those dreams you have as a child of playing for your local team never truly go away, so the competition that teams represent in their local club and play in their colours.  We are also grateful to The FA for allowing us to use St George’s Park to provide our players with the experience of playing a top class venue.”

Walking football has grown massively over the last few years and as the name suggests it is non-contact and anyone that sprints, runs or jogs while the ball is in play will be penalised with a free-kick awarded to the other team. The game is played on a pitch 20/40 yards in length and 15/30 yards in width.

Dean continues: “We want this tournament to provide the opportunity for friendly competition and to promote and help grow the game. So that more and more older people can benefit from staying active.”

How the final will work

The 10 teams have been split into two groups which will play a round robin tournament with the top two teams qualifying for the semi-final.

Group One

Group Two

1. Derby County ‘A’

1. Blackpool

2. Crewe Alexandra

2. Swindon Town

3. AFC Wimbledon

3. York City

4. Leeds United

4. Norwich City

5. Derby County ‘B’

5. Plymouth Argyle

Football clubs jump for joy as Kinder + Sport Programme gets over 41,000 children active in the UK and Ireland

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Football clubs across country are joining together to celebrate the success of the Kinder + Sport programme, a national initiative delivered by Ferrero and The Football League Trust.

The programme is designed to get children active, promote nutritional education and build awareness of the importanceScreen Shot 2015-08-26 at 14.28.16 of a balanced diet and active lifestyle.  Since the start of the school year, football clubs throughout the UK have been teaming up with primary schools in their area to deliver the + Sport Move and Learn Project to 9-10 year olds, with each session combining 45 minutes of classroom based learning and 45 minutes of physical activity over a 6 week period. The project will reach more than 21,000 children over the 2014/15 school year. To support the programme, club players have acted as ambassadors and participating schools have had the chance to meet players and be involved in match day activities such as half time penalty shoot outs. 

Alongside this, Ferrero has partnered with The Football League as the official sponsor of the Kinder + Sport Kids’ Cup and Kinder + Sport Girls’ Cup, national tournaments for junior footballers across the country which have got a further 20,000 children active and recently culminated in exciting finals at Wembley stadium.

The celebration of a successful year for Kinder + Sport in the UK  is marked by the unveiling of the Kinder + Sport Jump for Joy project, created to encourage children and adults to experience the “Joy of Moving” by capturing their very own jump for joy. 

Players, mascots, fans and children from Kinder + Sport clubs across the UK have been sharing pictures of their jumps, which have all now been combined together into a mosaic of images in the shape of the Kinder + Sport logo.  The mosaic is revealed today at the Kinder + Sport Pavilion at Expo in Milan as part of the celebrations for Expo UK National Day.

 The Jumps for Joy mosaic can be viewed online

Charlie Cayton, Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Ferrero, says: “Celebrating the joy of moving is at the very heart of the Kinder + Sport philosophy. That’s why, as this academic year draws to a close, we want to recognise the hard work and commitment of The Football League Trust and our partners and clubs across the UK and Ireland. Thanks to their dedication, the programme has reached over 41,000 children with over 190,000 hours of activity delivered. We look forward to continuing to work with them and to growing the programme by bringing more clubs on board at the start of the new school year in September.”

Mike Evans, General Manager of The Football League Trust, adds: “We have been working with Ferrero for almost 2 years now to inspire children to lead active lifestyles through the Kinder + Sport programme. We have been overwhelmed by the positive response we have had from the clubs, schools and kids themselves to the initiative. We see it as vitally important that companies such as Ferrero value the health and wellbeing of our future generations, and we’re delighted to be building on the initial success of the project and to continue to grow it next year.”

Notes to editors – About the Kinder + Sport Move and Learn Project

designed to get children active, promote nutritional education and build awareness of the importance of a balanced diet and active lifestyle.

The + Sport Move and Learn Project is a national, school-based, educational programme for children aged 9-10, delivered through football clubs across the UK and Ireland.  Over the course of six 90 minute weekly sessions, children will learn about the body, nutrition, the importance of exercise and food groups and take part in a practical session of football, handball and dodgeball. The content has been developed by nutritional, educational and sporting experts in line with the Government’s Eatwell plate and the National Curriculum for PSHE and Science.

The + Sport Move and Learn Project is delivered in schools across the country in partnership with the Community Trusts of several top football clubs across the UK and The Republic of Ireland. These include Watford FC; Blackburn Rovers; Coventry City; Charlton Athletic; Derby County; Middlesbrough FC; Sheffield United; and Plymouth Argyle.  In Scotland the programme is run in partnership with the Scottish Professional Football League Trust and Rangers and Celtic. The Football Association Ireland has also launched a pilot programme in the Cork area where Ferrero is a major employer, producing 40% of the world’s supply of tic tacs at its Cork factory.

Football Legend Jimmy Armfield Encourages Older Footballer to Walk On, Walk On

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Football Legend Jimmy Armfield will kicked off the Football League Trust’s first ever national walking football tournament in Blackpool yesterday

The tournament features over 60 teams who, uniquely, will represent their local Football League Club and play in their quoteofficial colours. The competition is comprised of 5 regional events, with the top two in each region qualifying for the finals which will be played at The FA’s prestigious St George’s Park

This slow-paced version of the beautiful game aimed specifically at the over 50s, Jimmy Armfield comments, “As you get older the opportunity to participate in team sports lessen – ironically at the age when you most need to keep active. Walking Football is designed to help people keep an active lifestyle despite their age, as well as getting those back playing football who had to stop due to injuries. Simply playing 1 hour a week for 3 months enables players to cover 30 miles and burn 4,200 calories!”

Dean Grice, from the Football League Trust comments, “Those dreams you have as a child of playing for your local team never truly go away, so the competition that teams represent in their local club and play in their colours. We are also grateful to The FA for allowing us to use St George’s Park to provide our players with the experience of playing a top class venue.”

Walking Football has grown massively over the last few years and as the name suggests it is non-contact and anyone that sprints, runs or jogs while the ball is in play will be penalised with a free-kick awarded to the other team. The game is played on a pitch 20/40 yards in length and 15/30 yards in width with a size

The North West final consisted of teams representing, Blackpool, Crewe Alexandra, Carlisle United, Rochdale, Fleetwood Town, and Wigan Athletic.   Following a keenly contested group stage Blackpool and Crewe booked their place and at St Georges, with Blackpool just edging a tight final.  

Dean continues, “The competitive spirit on show evident from all the teams but the camaraderie between all the player was brilliant and there was lots of laughter.  We want this tournament to provide the opportunity for friendly competition and to promote and help grow the game. So that more and more older people can benefit from staying active.”

Football League Trust railway safety project wins two Network Rail awards

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Football League Trust work improving railway safety in communities across the country has been recognised with a pair of Network Rail Partnership Awards.
The Trust’s rail safety programme was shortlisted in two categories – community engagement and safety – and saw off the competition to win both prizes.

An ongoing partnership between the Trust and Network Rail is using the power of football to educate young people about the potential dangers posed by the railway network.

Community trusts attached to 10 Football League clubs identified as being in areas most in need of rail safety education employ a winning mixture of football, fun and educational workshops to bring home the importance of staying safe on and near to railway lines.

Football League Trust project manager Aiden Couch said: “We believe that this a great collaboration between organisations that fit very well together.

“Our community trusts are uniquely placed to engage with young people in the areas where Network Rail are looking to reduce trespassing and ultimately fatalities on the tracks. This project is doing this in a fun yet challenging way and giving young people access to training and support they would not otherwise receive.”

The work between Network Rail and the club community trusts is ongoing, but results so far point to improved knowledge of rail safety and a positive response from those youngsters taking part.

Network Rail Partnership Awards recognise the help and support given by partners in delivering a better railway for Britain.

Blackburn Rovers crowned Kinder+Sport Championship Kids Cup winners

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Blackburn Rovers lifted the Kinder+Sport Championship Kids Cup after a 3-2 penalty shoot-out victory over AFC Bournemouth at Wembley Stadium.

Oliver Rawson struck the winning spot-kick for Rovers, who were represented by Salesbury C of E Primary School, after a tense goalless draw.

Despite the lack of goals, both teams had chances during the allotted 14 minutes of play.

Rovers’ Daniel Rawson blazed the best opportunity of the match over the bar when one-on-one with Bournemouth stopper Sam Bradbury, while Ryan Finnigan fired wide for the Cherries after creating a chance for himself in the second period.

Both teams performed admirably but it had to be settled by penalties. The first four spot-kicks were immaculately tucked away, then Liam Finnigan was unlucky to see his effort come back off the post, allowing Rawson to find the top corner for glory.

After lifting the Championship Kids Cup trophy, Rawson said: “It’s a great feeling to score a penalty at Wembley and know that you’re the best Championship side in England at this level.  

“All my family and friends were in the crowd and it was great having them all here. It was brilliant to be out on the pitch and experience the atmosphere.”

Teacher Stephen Bird, who accompanied the Salesbury C of E Primary School students at the national stadium, said: “I’m immensely proud of them all.

“It’s been a great season that’s contained its ups and downs and I’m really impressed with all of the boys.

“They had nerves of steel in the penalty shoot-out – they never gave up.”

The 2015 Kinder+Sport Kids Cup has seen over 16,700 children take part in the nationwide competition which is an increase of more than 1,000 from previous years. The competition, for children under the age of 11, culminates in a final at Wembley before the Sky Bet Football League Play-Off Finals this Bank Holiday Weekend.

The Kids Cup falls under the Kinder+Sport Project, which is a key part of Ferrero’s global CSR activity and in the UK sees Ferrero partner with The Football League Trust to increase the levels of physical activity, promote nutritional education and build awareness of the importance of a balanced diet and active lifestyle amongst children.

In the UK Ferrero also support the + Sport Move and Learn Project which is a schools-based programme targeting nine to 10-year-olds. It sets out to move over 21,000 children and deliver over 190,000 hours of activity and education over the 2014/15 school year across the UK and Ireland.

Blackburn Rovers (represented by Salesbury C of E Primary School): Jacob Mithoo (GK), Conner Eccleston (Capt), Lanre Okeweusi, Adam Wharton, Ishan Goshawk, Daniel Rawson, Jack Wilson, Oliver Rawson.

AFC Bournemouth (represented St James C of E Primary School): Sam Bradbury (GK), Ryan Finnigan (Capt), Conner Moore, Tommy Gwynfryn-Evans, Monty Moberly, Jamie Drake, Liam Finnigan, Ethan Quarchioni.

Image by: Scott Heavey/EMPICS Sport