THEY think it’s a walk in the park, when in reality it’s anything but.

Founded by local football coach Stuart Moore and in conjunction with the Dorset Football Association and Redlands Community Sports Hub, a new “walking football” scheme has been launched in Weymouth.

The scheme sees a group of hardy footballers, who are mainly aged 50 and over, gather at the Astroturf pitch at Redlands on a Friday night for a competitive, yet friendly, kick-about.

Walking football is surging in popularity across the country as elderly people and people who cannot physically participate in the rough-and-tumble of Sunday league football, try and stay active and try to keep involved with the beautiful game.

It is still football apart from two slight rule changes, as players cannot run and cannot kick the ball above head height.

The Weymouth Walking Football Team is going from strength to strength since it was first launched in February this year and is constantly looking for more players.

Our reporter Lee Irving strapped on his shinpads and laced up his boots to join in with a game with the team.

FOOTBALL is often described as the working man’s game, the beautiful game

Steeped in history and cemented through decades of support, football is the number one sport in England and is the most commonly played and most watched game worldwide.

Whether it’s following your local side such as Weymouth or Dorchester through the good times and the bad, or following the multi-billion pound product that is the Premier League, the passion and love for the game never falters for the football fan.

As with most sports, you eventually cannot play it. Whether it is due to an injury, old age or you simply cannot afford to dedicate enough time to it, you may be forced to stop playing the sport you love.

Well, a bunch of committed men in the Weymouth area are determined to buck that trend.

Launched by local football coach Stuart Moore, in conjunction with Dorset FA and Redlands Community Sports Hub, a “Walking Football” scheme has been introduced.

Primarily aimed at men aged 50 and over, the game offers players the chance to play a competitive game of football once a week.

Coach Stuart Moore said: “I am really pleased how it’s going, everyone puts a lot of effort into it.

“Every week more and more people are coming down and giving it a go, and hopefully in the future we can put a few teams together.

“The games are always competitive, you don’t know what standard the players used to play at, but it’s good to see them all getting stuck in and putting the effort in.”

The group is ideal for those who have a passion for the sport but for one reason or another cannot play as frequently as they would like to.

It also reintroduces the social element of playing football, the camaraderie and the banter they have missed, with the ages ranging from 41 to 74 in the Weymouth Walking Football team.

Graham Dale, 67, from Weymouth, was taking part for the second time.

He said: “I used to play a lot of park’s football on a Sunday morning, and this is great, I saw it advertised and just though this is for me.

“I’m really enjoying it, the camaraderie of being in a team and everyone makes you feel really welcome.”

The rules have been slightly altered. No running is allowed and the ball must not be kicked over head height. This results in a slower-paced game, but means the players have to put more thought into what positions they are in, and who they pass to.

Speaking after the match, Cliff Hitchen, 68, from Weymouth he said: “I loved it, I really enjoyed it, it was brilliant.

“This is my second week and it takes some time to get your head around the rule changes and what positions you need to be in but this week I got a goal, even though I missed about three more.”

Kristian Rose, 41, gained special dispensation to play from Dorset FA.

Around 13 months ago, he suffered a serious stroke and was partially paralysed down the left side of his body. He was told he would never walk again.

Mr Rose said: “They are a good bunch of lads here, it’s difficult to find something in Weymouth where I can join in now, but here I can and everyone is really supportive. They know I’m limited in certain ways but they fully understand and never get angry with me.”

The team is now also looking for some sponsorship to help deal with the running costs and to help pay for some kit and for more information on how to join, contact Stuart Moore on 07850447088 or Chris Dear on 01202 688277.

MATCH REPORT

AFTER the pre-match warm-up and photo call, the players were divided into two teams of five, the classic contest between bibs and non-bibs, and the game kicked off on a bitterly cold Friday night.

Although it’s walking football, the speed of the play in terms of the passing and possession is pleasantly surprising, and the bibs penned the non-bibs into their own half in the opening few minutes as they searched for the opening goal.

The bibs finally went one-nil up after Cliff Hitchen controlled the ball on the edge of the area and curled an effort past the goalkeeper.

Half-time followed shortly after and in a classic football cliché, it was a real game of two-halves as the non-bibs started to press more. They drew level shortly after half time through Andy Matthews, before Kristian Rose coolly finished after a defence-splitting pass from Terry Dunn.

The bibs then drew level after a cool side-footed finish by reporter Lee Irving went in off the post, before the non-bibs went back into the lead after Terry Dunn drove into the bottom corner.

The bibs then took control and peppered the non-bibs goal, with goalkeeper Alan Baker pulling off some great saves.

However, he could do nothing to prevent Graham Dale from notching the equaliser with the last kick of the game, meaning the game ended in a fair 3-3 draw.