Further to recent discussions and developments within the walking football world, and following discussion with Chris Wright and a number players involved in running the club, and with a view to providing some clarification and consistency, please find below details of the current agreed ‘holding’ position.
1. Rules
Peter Diprose will be convening a group to look at and combine all the various influences on the rules we play. In the meantime across both venues we consider our basic format to be:
3 touches
No height restriction
No blue card or sin bin
No tackling from behind in any shape or form.
All free kicks are direct.
2. The club
There are no plans at this point in time to separate Olhao and Tavira into two separate clubs. They will be considered as one club. (Sao Bras, however, is a separate club, as are Lagos and Vilamoura.) All monies, bibs, balls, and other equipment belong to the one club. All activities, including team selection for tournaments and Christmas and summer gatherings, with be based on the one club independent of a player’s usual venue.
3. Age
Within this club over 50s was, and is, intended to be a guidance. We will continue to welcome family members and visitors to play if under and over 50, as long as they understand and play to the rules agreed for our walking football. There is no upper limit on age.
4. Disability, ability, weight, illness, or other conditions
There is no entry requirement or selection procedure on who can play; all are welcome. A desire to play is good enough.
5. Gender
The club accepts all genders to be eligible for the sessions.
Updates
We are entering three teams into the October Villamoura Tournament. As this time it is a 5-a-side tournament this will reduce the number of players that can participate. I have asked if we can enter a further two teams.Following our Xmas extravaganza we are planning a summer jolly (party), possibly a boat up the Guadiana for the evening (and back). This is at an early stage at present. If anyone knows an option around this we’d be very interested to follow it up. Perhaps looking at late July.
Shirts
If anyone has anyone Tournament shirts please could you return them … we’re having a shirt stock-take! We currently have about 7 sets, mostly incomplete!
Normal rules football
Following our disastrous step into the world of 11-a-side ‘normal rules’ competitive football we want to look at resurrecting the ‘normal rules’ game following our usual Mondays and Thursdays sessions, probably after Easter. If anyone would be interested let us know. NB we have retired from competitive 11-a-side ‘normal rules’……. for now.No contact rules sessions Recent events have curtailed the proposed no contact rules session. If anyone is interested in looking at developing this, perhaps on a Wednesday, please do let us know. With the passage of time this may well be a very attractive option for people.
A final note
The main purpose of all of this malarkey is to play football, get/keep fit and ‘ave a giggle (i.e., enjoyment). Too much energy spent on anything other than that seems pointless. Chris is keen we keep our focus very much on those three things as we continue to evolve and grow as group of older gentlemen/women.