TEAMS of men aged 50 and above are invited to sign up for next season’s Gloucestershire FA (GFA) Walking Football League following the success of the county’s inaugural campaign, writes Simon Parkinson.

Seven enthusiastic and competitive six-a-side teams took part in the final round of fixtures at the GFA’s 3G facility at Oaklands Park, Almondsbury with FA People’s Cup finalists Abbeymead Rovers emerging as the winners of the 2015-16 competition.

Each match is played over two 15-minute periods and qualified referees are to hand to keep law and order.

GFA football development officer Jack Stanbury says having proper officials to hand is far from purely for show either.

He said: “It can get quite tense and competitive at times; these guys take it pretty seriously and why not? They’re at a time of their lives, generally 50-plus with limited movement in some cases, when they’re hardly going to sprint after balls down the channels or chase back at full speed to make a goal-saving interception.

“It’s fun and it’s friendly but they want to win, make no mistake, and this type of league is perfect for them because they want something more than the popular turn-up-and-play sessions we offer people, men and women, across the county.

“It’s a very tactical spin on the regular game because you’re not, of course, allowed to run and no balls can legally be kicked over head height. It’s all about passing to feet but there’s a real art to it as you can imagine.

“Everyone was asked to fill out a feedback form and that all came back very positive. There’s clearly a desire for this pace of football to be delivered as they feel it’s perfect for their ages and abilities.”

Plans to introduce a second bigger and better league next season are already underway.

“We’re looking to start up again around September time,” confirmed Stanbury.

"We’ve already had interest and we’re opening it up to even more teams with a view to possibly forming two regional divisions, to help make travelling to games easier for everyone.”

Anyone interested in registering a team for next season’s GFA Walking Football League, or to find out more about turn-up-and-play sessions, can email Jack at jack.stanbury@gloucestershirefa.com or call him in office hours on 01454 615888 (option 3).