Men’s Over 50s
Group Games
Spain 2-2
Scotland 3-0
Australia 1-0
Portugal 3-0
Basque 5-0
Italy 3-0
Singapore 3-0 walkover
Quarter Final – Wales 2-0
Semi Final – Spain 3-2
Final – Italy 1-0
England’s Over 50’s men’s Walking Football team completed a magnificent victory in Torrevieja Spain to retain the World Nations Cup with 9 victories and 1 draw.
Their opening group fixture against host nation Spain ended 2-2 but that was followed by 8 victories
England’s performances and consistency proved too strong for all other nations as their movement and touch prevailed. The strength in depth in the fierce Spanish heat was vital, as every outfield squad player registered a goal.
After winning a tough group of 8 by five clear points, they beat Wales 2-0 in the quarter final and Spain 3-2 in fiercely competitive semi-final.
The final against Italy was a tense affair and even after a brilliant David Dickson strike after only 8 seconds was ruled out for running, Mark Caven whose brace in the semi-final had proved vital once again turned sharply on the edge of the box in the second half to smash the only goal of the game.
A fantastic achievement to be world champions twice
Men’s Over 60s
Group Games
France 3-1
Basque Country 5-0
Japan 5-0
Jersey 3-0
Hong Kong 9-0
Quarter Final – Czech Republic 3-1
Semi- Final – Spain 3-2
Final – Northern Ireland 1-0
The Over 60s completed a fantastic back-to-back World Nations Cup campaign with victory in the final against Northern Ireland.
The Group matches started with a tough match against France – England were superb, dominating the ball and creating many chances. This proved to be the case throughout the tournament and it did not matter who played where, the same principals of dominating play and being patient continually frustrated the opposition. It is a proud fact that fewer than 10 offences were made, in total, in the first 6 matches.
In the quarter final, England were 3-0 up against Czech Republic at half time, but a nervous 2nd half let them back into the game and put England under pressure, despite hitting the post 4 times. The semi-final was a very tense affair – 2 goals dis-allowed and some excellent play from the Spanish side saw England 2-1 down with only 7 minutes to go – until top scorer and Player of the Tournament Andy Clarke scored 2 quick goals resulting in a 3-2 victory.
Northern Ireland were the surprise package – very difficult to break down – beating France and Italy in the knock-out games on penalty shoot-outs. The final was a similarly close affair – England an early goal disallowed but took the lead when Steve Slater fired in from distance. From that point on, England dominated the game but could not breach the tight defence and excellent goalkeeper, whilst at the same time limiting them to one or two attempts on goal.
Men’s 70s
Netherlands 8 – 0
Italy 2 – 0
Japan 6 – 0
Quarter Final – Basque Country 6 – 0
Semi Final – Italy 3 – 1
Final – Netherlands 8 – 1
Scorers: – Neil Brister 13, Alan Davies 11, Dave Jones 2, Tony Jones 2, Howard Payne 3, Jim Ellis 2
This was the inaugural World Nations Cup for men’s 70s and we were delighted to be involved. The squad had prepared well and we had assembled a very strong group of players. And so it proved on the pitch. From our first game versus the Netherlands, Alan Davies proved what a threat he was, scoring 4 goals in the first half, only to be replaced by Neil Brister, who then matched Alan’s haul with 4 of his own. Total football, English-style had arrived.
The fluency of the football and the possession game saw us dominate versus Italy in the next game, but they held us to a 2 0 scoreline. That domination, possession and goal threat continued in the next couple of games where we beat Japan and the Basque region both 6 – 0. Italy gave us a competitive game in the SF – and we were 1 0 down at one point, but full credit to the lads who showed maturity, discipline and composure in the face of a tough challenge. Eventually this paid off and we finished deserved 3 – 1 winners.
The spirit of the competition was there for all to see in the final. The Dutch were delighted just to be there, and were roared on by their fantastic supporters, ably matched by our own travelling support. The game was played in the spirit of celebration, and the final score reflected our overall quality of football and ability to pour in goals from all over the pitch (33 goals from 6 different scorers over the tournament). Special mentions should go to Neil Brister, who won the tournament golden boot (closely followed by Alan Davies), and to skipper Tony Jones, who won player of the tournament.
Altogether a fabulous tournament, and an emotional and memorable experience for all concerned, rounded off by a series of team performances as good as any seen at this age group
Women’s Over 40s
5-0 Australia
4-0 Spain
6-0 Wales
3-1 Czech Republic
0-0 France
4-0 Japan
1-0 Spain – Semi-final
1-0 France – Final
England 40’s women were dominant throughout the tournament. A togetherness mentally, goals from all over the squad and a strong defence made us unbeatable. Player of the tournament Melanie McGregor was immense, scoring both the winning goals in the semi final against a very much improved Spain and in the final against a strong French side.
Women’s 50s
15-0 v Hong Kong.
3-0 v Australia
4-1 v Wales
6-0 v Spain.
1-0 v Canada
Loss 0-1 v France
Semi-final 1-0 v Australia
Final v France 0-0 – loss 2-3 penalties
The England Women’s Over 50s team gave a strong showing in their debut at the Walking Football World Nations Cup held in Torrevieja, Spain. England’s performance in the round robin stage was impressive, scoring 29 goals and conceding only 2, finishing top of the league.
Australia in the semi-final proved difficult to break down, but with England creating several chances, they eventually got their reward with a 1-0 win.
The final against France was a tricky one. England dominated the play in the first half without being able to convert any of their goal scoring opportunities. France came into the game more in the second half, albeit the England defense restricting France to just a couple of scoring opportunities. Despite being dominant, England drew 0-0 after extra time and lost 2-3 on penalties. While being disappointed, the team can be proud of their overall performance, each player demonstrating tremendous commitment and sportsmanship throughout the competition.
Women Over 60s
Australia Won 2-0
Japan. Won 9-0
Wales. Won 8-0
Australia Won 4-0
Japan Won 2-0
Wales Won 9-0
Final v Australia Won 6-1
As this was the first World Nations Cup where women had taken part, there was obviously a nervous start as our first game was against Australia. Denise Markham opened the scoring which calmed the nerves and the second goal was a penalty taken superbly by Sue Howard. In the games that followed the goals started to flow as the girls relaxed into their normal roles on the pitch.
In the end the team scored 40 goals and conceded one goal (penalty) in the final.
Denise Markham, Sue Hutchings and Sue Howard topped the Goal Scorers with 6 Goals apiece, closely followed by Anne Fuller, Sharon Meek and Jill Thomas all scoring 5 goals each.
Along with the highest Goal scorers, Denise Markham was named Player of the Tournament for the Women 60’s age group and Lyn McLoughlin was awarded the Best Goalkeeper.
All in all a tidy haul of silver.
We all had a great experience meeting all the different nations taking part and some lasting relationships have been formed.
Exhibition Matches
Week 1 – Men’s Kicking Cancer
6-2 v Singapore
3-0 v England 80s
5-0 V Spain women’s over 40s
2-0 v Cyprus over 50s
2-2 V Japan
A fantastic set of results for the Kicking Cancer team – mostly Over 60, often playing against mixed 50/60 teams. They really enjoyed the experience of playing against different countries
We were delighted when the opportunity arose to play against a mixed age Singapore team that included the son and daughter of the late Rosli Bin Ahmad on the Wednesday of week one. The match was played in a friendly spirit and play was allowed to flow by refs Paul Carr and Stuart Langworthy. The final score was 6-2 to England KC but Singapore staged a spirited comeback after trailing 4-0 at half time.
On Thursday morning England KC were pitted against England over 80s who made us work hard for the three nil win. In the afternoon we faced Spain Women’s over 40s and recorded a five nil victory with five different goal-scorers.
On Friday we faced our toughest opponents to date Cyprus Men’s over 50s who had just been eliminated from the main tournament. A goal in each half and a clean sheet resulted in a two nil win. Our final fixture was against a mixed age Japan team with a vociferous support from their fans.
An excellent start saw us go two nil up at half time but Japan fought back with two goals in the second half to make it honours even
An amazing experience for all involved and to go home unbeaten with four wins and a draw was a great achievement Hopefully by 2027 there will be a Cancer category for us to enter. John Cooper
Men’s Over 80s
Wow. What a few days the England over 80’s have had. Just being part of it was exhilarating. Thanks to Kick out Cancer and the Netherlands for our two enjoyable games on Day 1 and further games on Day 2 against Singapore, Japan and Australia – and a special thanks to Paul and Stuart, not only getting us unexpected game time but also officiating in the game against the Netherlands. The friendliness, respect and interest shown in our ability to take 10 Octogenarians to such a prestigious event and the overall organisation guarantees (!) I hope that we’ll not only be invited to the next one but also encourage other countries to follow our lead, creating a platform for an over 80’s league next time.
Week 2 – Parkinson’s
The results for the Parkinson Team are now in.
Brentford Penguins 4-0
England O60’s 1-2
Basque O60’s. 0-4
Canada O60’s. 4-0
Australia O60’s. 1-2
Following on from their impressive 4-0 defeat of the Brentford Penguins, the England PD team had the honour of playing an England O60’s select team (who would go on to retain their World Nations Cup the following day).
The England Select team chose to rest several key players with important games coming up, this did however allow manager Langworthy to name himself amongst the starting six,
England PD started the game confidently, kicking up the slight slope, keeping their illustrious opponents at arms length, and on the 4th minute English, making his debut for PD threaded a delightful defence splitting pass which Lambert controlled with one touch and found the corner of the Select goal with his second touch, the goal appeared to focus the Select’s attention but Nicholls in the PD goal remained untroubled until the last minute of the half when The Select were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the’D’, Langworthy knocked a short ball to Collier, who guided the ball with his trusty left foot past the despairing dive of Nicholls.
The second half saw some super football played by both teams, Langworthy toiled away up front with little return for his efforts, the PD’s were still creating chances and Taylor was unlucky not to convert, Williams was playing his normal industrious game, and with Bibby, Quinn and Wilson controlling the midfield The Select’ were struggling to find a way through, but in stoppage time Douglas found some space and The Select’s were finally able to find a way past Nicholls. Final score PD 1-2 Select’s
We had 4 more fantastic games and the whole experience was superb. We hope that we raised the profile of Parkinson’s Walking Football and proved that Parkinson’s will not define us. I know that we surprised a number of teams regarding how well we played and how good we were. The heat and the exhaustion did take its toll on us and we were shattered after day 2 – but it was a fantastic experience and we are so grateful for the opportunity to show the world that living with Parkinson’s is not the end = just a new beginning.
Women’s Kicking Cancer
Our World Nations Cup experience was another to remember
Not a day most of the WFA England Women’s Kicking Cancer team ever imagined would happen. It doesn’t get much bigger than playing at The World Nations Cup, yet here we are playing exhibition matches!
Day 1 exhibition games against Hong Kong Men, The Brentford Penguins a men’s team from the UK and the Hong Kong coaches and officials team. 2 close defeats and a draw later we were still pinching ourselves. Proud Proud Proud to be representing many other’s like us who have faced cancer and proved that life can go on after a diagnosis. Feeling the love in Spain with family and friends.
We were thrilled to get an early win under our belts with a 1-0 victory against the Hong Kong men (yes again, but we’d grown quite fond of each other. We peaked with a great result against Spain Women’s over 50s team, winning 3-1. Our final match was a closey fought game with the Basque Country men which we eventually lost 2-0. We’d been hoping to play against the Parkinsons England team but time was against us, so that’s a fixture for another day.
This has been a trip that memories are made of. New friendships have been formed with players from across the world. We’ve got to know each other a lot better and have discovered that we have so much more in common than ‘just’ our cancer. Of course we missed Deb, Jade and Jodi who weren’t able to come this time.
Our gratitude as always goes to AXA Insurance and their continued partnership with The Walking Football Association . The final word has to go to our amazing leader Julia Tibbs , who will take no credit for anything this squad has achieved ,but deserves it all.
We also enjoyed an 8 minute slot on BBC Breakfast which had fantastic viewing figures helping to raise the profile of Walking Football on the global stage
Walking Football has change so many peoples’ lives for the better, the fitness levels and mental health support that it gives to us all is better than any of us could have foreseen .