The chairman of a walking football club has said he wants to “get people off their sofas and playing football outside in the fresh air”.
Since its establishment seven months ago, Stratford Walking Football Club has grown to 133 members, four of whom represent the England team.
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Chairman Paul Clarke said there was “not a lot of walking football in Warwickshire” when he founded the club and it was “amazing” to see it develop.
He said he has seen many friendships formed and that walking football provides physical and mental health benefits to participants.
Clark said he started playing walking football at a local leisure center two years ago and “absolutely loved it”.
He said that he had not played football for 30 years before this and found that the ball was faster than he expected.
“It’s more like jogging football,” he added.
He was given the chance to play for England last March after signing for Solihull Moors and playing in the Birmingham Premier League.
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“I describe it as a 50-year-old man reliving his childhood dreams,” Clark said.
Although the experience was “nerve-wracking,” he said: “You just put that shirt on and it gives you a different feel.”
When he moved from Solihull to a village near Stratford-upon-Avon three years ago, he said he discovered there weren’t many opportunities for walking football in the county.
“I think there’s just a little gap,” he said.
He emailed the chairman of Stratford Town Football Club and was surprised by the level of support from the club.
“It means a lot to us because we want to get people off their couches and outside playing football in the fresh air,” he said.
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Clark is pleased with the club’s development since the summer and said the players now “go out and have a beer together on Saturday nights”.
Stratford will feature in England’s over-40 squad against Spain on Sunday and Clark said he hopes his club can develop further.
He is particularly keen to recruit more women.
He said: “I often think there are a lot of people sitting at home who are good football players who don’t enjoy playing football.
“We want more players to come on board and really enjoy what we’ve created.”
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