Winchester Walking Football Club

A Merry Christmas from everyone at the Wi******er Walking Football Club!

Wi******er Hit the Ground Running in New Hampshire FA Over-70s League (Of course when we say 'running' we are speaking metaphorically!) Over-70s Walking Football monthly competitive league kicked off at Stoneham on Thursday 11 September 2025, and Wi******er Walking Football have wasted no time making their mark. As things stand, Wi******er sit proudly at the top of the table — a terrific early statement in what promises to be a competitive season.
The league is played on the second Thursday of each month and will run through to March 2026, giving plenty of football (and banter) still to come.
Wi******er’s strong start has been helped by the welcome addition of several players from Salisbury, a sensible and mutually beneficial arrangement. Due to the age criteria, it wouldn’t be practical for both clubs to field separate Over-70s teams, so joining forces has strengthened the squad while keeping everyone playing the game they love.
As ever in walking football, goalkeepers remain a precious resource. To help teams compete, the qualifying age for keepers is sensibly reduced from 70 to 65, which has already proved invaluable.
With one exception, the league is made up entirely of Hampshire-based clubs. The full line-up includes Wi******er, Cove, Eastleigh, Fleet, Gosport, Havant and Portsmouth, with Bournemouth joining the league after stepping in when a Hampshire side withdrew at the last minute.
Being a Hampshire FA competition, matches are played under three-touch rules, and as an Over-70s league it is contested seven-a-side, striking a great balance between skill, teamwork and fitness.
A fantastic new competition, a strong Wi******er start, and plenty more football ahead — watch this space. ⚽

🇵🇹⚽ Wi******er Walking Football goes international! ⚽🇵🇹
Our Social Secretary Paul Reade has been flying the WWFC flag on his holiday in Madeira — literally!
Paul dropped in to play with the local walking football group and had an absolutely brilliant time. The Inter Madeira Walking Football lads were incredibly welcoming and even presented him with a club pennant for our trophy cabinet. 🙌
And would you believe it… Paul just happened to have packed his Wi******er kit. Total coincidence of course 😉
Great bit of international exposure for Wi******er Mobility , our fantastic sponsors.
Best bit? We’ve now been invited to bring a WWFC touring squad to Madeira next year. Don’t all volunteer at once… 🧡
Huge thanks to our new friends in Madeira — and well played Paul for representing us in style!

🏆 **Double Champions!** 🏆

What a day for **Wi******er Walking Football Club** at the Hampshire FA Stoneham tournament on 5 November 2025 — both our A and B teams won their leagues! 💪⚽

Each side finished with identical records (played 5, 11 points) — a real show of depth and teamwork across the club.

🔥 Wi******er A goals:
Barry Poffley (3)
Steve Nash, Ian Dowson & Chris Haynes (1 each)

💥 Wi******er B goals:
Graham Newland (3) — every single one!

Huge congratulations to all our players and a big shout-out to our sponsors WiWi******er Mobility or their fantastic support.

Two trophies, one brilliant club. 🧡🖤
******erWalkingFootball ******erMobility

Meet the Teams - Wi******er WF Club

🏆 Wi******er Lead the Way in New Over-70s League! ⚽️
The brand-new Hampshire Over-70s Walking Football League kicked off at Stoneham on 11 September — a fantastic new addition to the well-established Over-50s and Over-60s leagues run by Hampshire FA.
Having enjoyed great success in recent years at both 50s and 60s level, Wi******er Walking Football Club have now stepped up again — and are already making their mark whilst proudly wearing their new kit supplied by our gold sponsor Wi******er Mobility
The new Over-70s format features seven-a-side, three-touch football, with points accumulated across the season (rather than separate monthly trophies). Seven clubs are taking part: Bournemouth, Cove, Eastleigh, Fleet, Havant Hawks, Portsmouth, and Wi******er.
After the opening rounds, Wi******er sit proudly at the top of the table – an impressive start from our most senior squad.
📅 September results:
🆚 Fleet – Won 1-0
🆚 Havant Hawks – Drew 0-0
🆚 Cove – Won 2-0
🆚 Eastleigh – Won 2-1
📅 October results:
🆚 Portsmouth – Drew 0-0
🆚 Bournemouth – Drew 1-1
🆚 Eastleigh – Won 2-0
That’s seven games played, just two goals conceded (both from penalties!) — an outstanding defensive record and a fantastic start to what promises to be a memorable season. 👏👏
Well done to everyone representing Wi******er — proving once again that age is no barrier to great football! 💪🔴⚪

Our inspirational coach, Heather Kirkland, who is behind Wi******er Walking Footballers recent success on the pitch, also coaches England Ladies Over 60's. Recently they had the honour of travelling to Brazil to promote Walking Football & it's benefits. Here is Heather's account of her remarkable trip:

'Part of the WFA‘s role is to promote and extend the sport throughout the world.

This year the Brazilian Walking Football Federation requested a mini tour by our men’s and women’s over 60 squads with a view to promoting the sport for women in South America. This trip took place in September.

The Walking Football Brazil is based in São Paulo where we were invited to the home of the football Museum in the Pacaembu Stadium which held the 1950 World Cup and the 1963 Pan- American Games, not forgetting Pelé scoring 113 goals here.

We were based in São Paulo and played two matches.

My role was to promote the women’s game. This involved how we warmed up and a number of playing scenarios . All of this was videoed by the WFB academy for their training and development programme.

The WFB is specifically aimed at women over 60 as they recognise the health benefits from the social aspect of sport.

In the first match, which became an exhibition match, England greatly outclassed the Brazilian side and gave us an insight on how we could help improve their game .

In the second match we split the England team and mixed in the Brazilian players which was hugely appreciated by our hosts. It allowed their players to become much more involved in the game and a sense of achievement when one of their players scored a goal.

There was a match commentator over the loud speaker who was getting very excited and the crowd of local school children went wild .

The WFA motto “ FUN, FITNESS AND FRIENDSHIP” was certainly followed.