Brickfield Rangers have today announced their walking football team will be entered into the FA People’s Cup.
The team, which has been running for over a year, will enter the People’s Cup walking football competition which offers the chance to play at the FA’s Wembley Stadium.
Brickfield’s side formed when the club joined forces with local walking football enthusiast Steve Cripps, an experienced walking footballer who has previously played for many teams in the Wrexham area.
Steve Cripps’ weekly sessions were attracting around 4-6 attendees, but when Brickfield Rangers’ in the community project teamed up with him it saw an upturn in participants, with more than 17 people aged 50 and over now attending each week.
The team is supported by Brickfield’s gap personnel sponsored Sport4Life project, which is aimed at developing healthier lifestyles by enabling access to quality coached sessions in the community. This initiative sees Brickfield manage the development of each player’s fitness and technique.
Now, the team will enter the People’s FA Cup Walking Football tournament at Goals Chester in hope of winning a chance of playing at Wembley this year.
Photo: Brickfield and Steve Cripps’ walking football squad.
Brickfield Rangers in the Community Director Andrew Ruscoe said: ” We are very pleased to be supporting such a fantastic group of enthusiastic gentlemen. It’s amazing to see how far this project partnership has come in just under 1 year.
“When we began it had roughly six players turning up on a regular basis now we have over 17 people. What’s more special is that those who now play for Brickfield Walking Football have now started to bring their families to watch our first team matches, joined our Youth sections and are even proud to enter tournaments under the Green & White stripes of Brickfield Rangers.
“The project has even enabled chances for former past managers & coaches from the last 41 years to rejoin the club that they feel very close to. One of them is now a Head Coach with the project called Clive Heale & the other being my old youth coach & former Arsenal trainee Gareth Downing.
“Our plans for the future are to continue to promote the wonderful sport of walking football and hopefully develop an official league within the region so that we can play more competitive walking football matches – but we have to start somewhere, so we will take Brickfield Walking Football to the city of Chester to hopefully win a chance to go to Wembley.”
Brickfield and Steve Cripps’ walking football sessions take place every Thursday night at 8.15pm at Ysgol Morgan Llwydd & is open to mixed gender. Steve, the Walking Football Project Manager can be contacted on 07967 482123.
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