0299 AUR En Voyage Issue #18 Flickbook

Guernsey Walking Football has gained in popularity
since it was introduced to the island by Paul Wheatly
and friends in 2014. The now Guernsey Walking
Football Club has around 75 members and attracts
about 50 participants every week – year-round.
‘We’re just now coming up to five years,’ said Paul,
71, retired. ‘I went to the UK to watch it in 2012 and
in 2014, with the help of colleagues, set up the
Guernsey Walking Football Club. Now we’ve got 50
active members with players aged 18 to 70-plus. It’s
the perfect sport for anyone coming back from an
injury or wanting to improve their health,’ said Paul.
The rules in walking football are pretty similar
to regular football and you can play with
anywhere from five to eight players on each
side. Walking football is a non-contact sport
so safe for youngsters to play too. ‘We would
love to see more families out there playing
together on the pitch. It’s no different to a
family game of rounders or cricket on the beach
and that’s why I love it so much,’ said Paul.
Guernsey Walking Football Club attracts all
levels, capabilities, and experience,
and men and women play on
the same team. ‘It’s a great
sport to play if you’ve got a
knee injury, say, or you’re
recovering from most
health conditions. We
are looking to do some
teambuilding work with
a few local companies
and also working
with some health
professionals to provide
additional support to
our players. We want
everyone who plays to
be healthy,’ said Paul.
GUERNSEY WALKING FOOTBALL CLUB IN ACTION AT KGV
ALL IMAGES ©CLAIRE ROGERS
GUERNSEY WALKING
FOOTBALL CLUB
ATTRACTS ALL LEVELS,
CAPABILITIES, AND
EXPERIENCE, AND MEN
AND WOMEN PLAY ON
THE SAME TEAM
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