CST side have played their first-ever fixture
Shrewsbury Town’s walking football side played host to Burton Albion in their first ever fixture in the sport on Saturday.Walking football is a sport which continues to grow and the Shrewsbury Town side – that is made up of players aged 55 and over – had such an impressive turnout at the weekend that two teams had to be set up to accommodate everyone!
Headed up by the Shrewsbury Town Community Sports Trust, the group have open training sessions every Monday from 6-7pm at the Lucozade Power League at the Greenhous Meadow - and another evening session on Thursdays.
The CST’s health and inclusion officer Aiden Wassell is delighted with the rapid growth of the sport within the county.
He said: “Walking Football started back in September and it has really taken off.
“We’ve got a really good group of 20 regular members and it’s a fantastic way of promoting health and fitness through football.
“Saturday was a great success and we must say a big thank you to the Lucozade Power League for providing the two pitches free of charge.
“We had a good crowd of people watching and the game itself was competitive but also played with great deal of sportsmanship.
“Anyone is welcome to join us as long as they are over 55. It’s just £3.50-a-week and that also entitles you to a complimentary hot drink after training.”
Burton Albion were playing only their second-ever fixture as a team and were very impressed with the facilities Shrewsbury had to offer.
Chris Prince, community health officer for Burton Albion Community Trust, was full of praise for the facilities at Greenhous Meadow.
He said: “It has been excellent. We all had a great day and the warm welcome we received from Shrewsbury was fantastic.
“The facilities are excellent and something we would really like to imitate back at Burton.
“All the guys here are Burton fans and it’s great that Shrewsbury provided all of the players a complimentary ticket for the match. It was a really nice touch from the Club.”
Despite the home advantage, Shrewsbury were only able to win one of their four matches, but that didn’t overshadow the day for 70-year-old Town player Norman Brown.
Norman said: “Walking football is a superb sport and the game on Saturday was fantastic. It gives us a chance to play competitive football again.
“The one thing I really like is seeing people in their 50s coming to training and starting to see how their skills all come flowing back to them.”
Norman was also full of praise for the Shrewsbury Town Community Sports Trust for their efforts in promoting the sport.
“The Trust have been fabulous and it’s fantastic to be associated with Shrewsbury Town,” he said.
If you would like to get involved in Walking Football, or for more information, please contact us by email: communitysportstrust@shrewsburytown.co.uk or by ringing 01743 289 177.