Walking football is quickly gaining popularity every week, and according to Merv Colenutt, many former professional football players have taken up the challenge of this relatively new sport. This is in addition to individuals who have played at a respectable level in the past.
Paul Randall, the legendary former player for Bristol Rovers and Stoke City, is one of those former players who I am extremely close to. He plays every week and loves every minute of it.
“It was a strange scenario to start with,” Paul stated. “I might be getting older, but kicking a ball again and hopefully scoring a few goals appealed to me.” Paul had played professional football for a number of years. Tim Richins at Cheddar kept on me about coming over and playing at Cheddar, and he kept telling me how many former players were enjoying the game, albeit walking instead of running.
“Eventually, when Tim convinced me and I gave it more consideration every day, I decided to give it a go at Cheddar. when a few friendly games, we competed against Weston in a cup tournament, which was obviously a more competitive aspect of the game. This was two or three years ago.
“After that, I got the chance to play with the South West team, and with all due respect to Tim Richens and Cheddar, I got to play with the better players. It was more competitive, and I was having fun with it all again.”
“It’s great to be involved again; despite the competitiveness, it’s mostly about meeting new people and enjoying the banter and general crack in the changing rooms. I still enjoy the competitiveness, as long as it’s done properly with officials and each game is played,” the player said. “I was then asked to play for the over 60s in the West League and then in the Gloucester League.”
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