NEWS
Second Early Doors Drink of the year for 2024 - Thursday 17th October
The second Early Doors Drink of the year for 2024 will take place on Thursday 17th OCT 2024 4pm start until 6pm (ish) at the BRAMPTON SOCIAL CLUB, 126 CHATSWORTH Road , Brampton S40 2AR.
The licensee, Santi Perez, has kindly opened up a hour earlier than usual for our members and friends.
All family and friends welcome for a general chat about nothing in particular.
Chesterfield Senior Spireites -v- Sheffield Wednesday
Two friendly matches took place with Sheffield Wednesday Walking Football Club on Wednesday 18th September as part of their warm up games before the Sheffield League starts. The Senior Spireites squad was partly made up of players who cannot usually attend daytime competitive matches due to work commitments or age restrictions with the remaining players including some Owls fans.
The game on pitch one was a topsy-turvy game where the winning team switched several times to finish up 4-3 to Wednesday over the course of 4 x 12 minute sessions. On pitch two the Senior Spireites had the upper hand at 6-2 with one playing session to go but Wednesday put on their shooting boots and scored four goals to finish the game 6-6!
Thanks to Malc Perks and Andy Norcliffe for organising the event and to the teams for the competitive matches.
Four Derbyshire Men in victorious England World Cup Squad
The Over 75s World Cup Competition 2024 was held in Cardiff from August 20th to 23rd and there were four Derbyshire men in the England team which won the cup. All four have played with Chesterfield Senior Spireites F.C. which is an over 60s small-sided running football club playing at Queen's Park. Two also play for the Senior Spireites F.C. walking football club. The four are Terry Fletcher, Dave Goucher, John Longstaff and Ian Edmundson, who are pictured.
The tournament was played with teams of seven-a-side and there were two games per day for the first three days, which was pretty tiring, but the England squad of thirteen players was well motivated, with an excellent team spirit and roll-on, roll-off substitutes were allowed to share the workload.
England started with an easy victory on the Tuesday, winning 14 – 0 against Cwmru, which was the Welsh second team, and followed that with a 7 – 0 victory over Roskilde from Denmark. On Wednesday they triumphed 4 – 0 over NC United from the USA then 4 – 1 against Germany. The fifth round on Thursday morning brought a lot of rain but also a 5 – 0 victory against OK United, also from the USA (Oklahoma). This meant a semi-final against Copenhagen who had come second to the Wales team in their half of the draw. They provided much tougher opposition, coming back strongly from going 2 – 0 down to make it 2 – 1 and England just managed to hold out to the final whistle to reach the cup final itself on Friday.
There was a lot of relief, a lot of tired legs, and much difficulty sleeping that night. Friday provided a sunny afternoon and England were due to play Wales who had beaten Germany 1 – 0 in their semi-final. It started well and England reached a 3 – 0 lead by half time, which quieted the home crowd. However, by now England had three players with injuries and Wales regrouped and played strongly in the second half, surging forward from midfield. They scored a good goal which roused the supporters and gave the players belief. Then they scored a second and the noise levels rose even further. England were struggling to keep them out and hoping for full time but the Welsh side scored a scrambled effort in the very last minute to make the final score 3 – 3.
Then the match went straight to penalties, to be taken by five of the players already on the pitch. Wales went first and scored, then England scored their first. The England keeper saved the second Welsh penalty and England scored their second to make it 1 – 2. Both sides scored their third penalties, the English one going between the keeper's legs, leaving it at 2 – 3. Next Wales scored their fourth but the Welsh keeper saved the English spot kick, making it 3 – 3. The crowd went wild again but the fifth Welsh player, under a lot of pressure, blasted his kick just wide of the post. The fifth Englishman stayed cool and placed his kick into the corner of the goal to win the match.
It's a lottery of a way to decide a game but it was exciting, and the Welsh team were very sporting in defeat. They had done brilliantly to come back from a three goal deficit and there were handshakes and a lot of respect all round. Well Done England for lifting the Over 75's World Cup!
Senior Spireites join the ScottLee Financial Planning East Midlands WFL
The Senior Spireites have joined the ScottLee Financial Planning East Midlands Walking Football League with games starting on Tuesday September 17th. The first fixtures are against Nottingham Bramcote Reds and the Alfretonians.
Fixtures are to be played at the Nottingham Power League, Thane Road, Nottingham NG7 2TG on the third Tuesday of each month over the Autumn and Winter months. Supporters are welcome to attend to cheer on the boys in blue. The first match kicks off at 12.00.
Full details of the teams playing in the league can be found at https://scottleefpeastmidlandswfl.leaguerepublic.com/index.html
Tony Bettison wins the Club's 2024 Unsung Hero Award
The winner of the Club's Unsung Hero Award for 2024, announced at the CFC Community Trust Awards in late July, was Tony Bettison.
Tony gained over 40% of the votes cast and is a worthy winner for all the time and effort he puts in to make the Dronfield playing sessions run smoothly, along with others. Tony was joined at the event by the two other members on the shortlist of Malc Emberton and John Dacey.
Tony would like to thank all those who voted for him as he is chuffed to bits to gain this award.
Plaque unveiled to mark Chesterfield as the birthplace of walking football
A blue plaque has been unveiled outside the HUB at the SMH Group Stadium to mark Chesterfield as the birthplace of walking football.
The event was attended by Chesterfield FC Community Trust representatives, local walking football players from the men's and women's teams and senior officials from walking football bodies.
John Croot, CEO of Chesterfield FC/Chesterfield FC Community Trust, was part of the Trust team who devised walking football, along with Andy Morris, Adam Norman and others.
John said: “It’s a real privilege and it’s great for the people who have been involved in it from the very early sessions. We heard from people who were coaching at the first sessions, along with those who were playing and watching. Part of having this plaque here recognises the role that the Trust, myself and others have all put in since they were playing two-a-side at Queen’s Park Sports Centre!
“It’s helping people get into a healthy lifestyle and it’s as much about what doesn’t happen on the pitch in that, they (walking football players) go and do other activities and get to know each other.
“To think that it all started here at Chesterfield all those years ago, it’s quite humbling.”
Alan Rose, president of the International Walking Football Federation, who recently held their World Championships at the SMH Group Stadium, attended the unveiling. He expressed delight at the growth of the sport and urged others to get involved in walking football, saying: “Don’t think about it – get down and do it and enjoy it.”
Over £650 donated to local charities by the Club
During the Spring months the Club has been involved in various fund raising activities on behalf of local charities. A total of £660 has been collected which have been passed onto the Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Ashgate Hospice, both very important caring facilities in the area.
£125 was donated to Chesterfield Royal Hospital (CRH) which was half of the collection at Michael Wilson's funeral, who was one of the Club's true gentlemen.
£535 was donated to Ashgate Hospice from four sources. £125 from the collection at Michael Wilson's funeral, £110 from Rob Church, raised by him doing the Sparkle Walk in June, £56 from the winner of the Last Man Standing football competition and £244 of donations from Club Members in response to an appeal by Rob.
Senior Spireites play Australia’s Walkeroos and help at World Championships
The World Championships of Walking Football’s international organisation were held in Chesterfield in May 2024. To help the team from Australia warm up for the tournament Chesterfield’s walking football club, the Senior Spireites, played a series of games against them. These matches are the first international games that the Spireites, as a large group of players, have taken part in during their 12 year history.
For many of the Senior Spireites this was their first chance to play against an overseas team. The Club’s members were divided into one of four age groups to play against the opposition, Over 50’s, Over 60’s Over 65’s and Over 70’s, to provide an opportunity for as many people to participate as possible. The games were competitive in all age groups with the Senior Spireites giving the visitors a good workout prior to the World Championships.
Senior Spireite Keith Arrowsmith plays for England
In March the England Over 75s walking football team wearing their red away strip, took on the might of a Welsh team at Colliers Park, Wrexham, the training ground of the W.F.A. Keith Arrowsmith, a regular player at Hasland and Dronfield was selected to play for England and also scored in the match. Congratulations to Keith for this notable achievement.
10 Year Awards presented in March 2024
At the 2024 AGM in March a further three 10 Year Awards were presented to members who had been with the Club for this period of time. There are now 15 current members who have been playing walking football for more than 10 years since the Club was founded in 2012.
The members to receive the Award were Roger Hancock, Steve Housley, Malc Perks and Alan Reynolds.
10th Anniversary game against Rotherham held
The original Senior Spireites team from 2014, wearing blue and white shirts are (left to right)
Back row: Chris Cobb, John Longstaff, Roy Beresford, Dave Green, Stuart Laycock, Ian Edmundson (slightly hidden), Barry Smith, Neil Haddy,
Front row: Mel Pullen, Keith Arrowsmith, Norman Green.
For the rematch 10 years later the over 70 squad was Keith Arrowsmith, Roy Beresford, Rick Cunningham, John Dacey, Ian Edmundson, John Longstaff, Alan Reynolds and Barry Smith. Our over 60 squad was Dave Brearley, Stuart Brearley, Steve Gleadall, Pete Jacques, Charlie Last, Derek Lowe, Neil McKinnon, and Kevin Pritchard.
Seventeen intrepid Senior Spireites traveled to Rotherham Mature Millers for the anniversary of a game played there on 26th February 2014.
An over 70s squad, including six of the original squad who played in 2014 and an over 60s squad, several of whom are also over 70. Unfortunately, the Rotherham over 70s squad only had one of their original players from 2014. Mel Pullen, another of our original 2014 squad members, also traveled and refereed on one pitch while Rotherham provided a referee on the other pitch.
It was a very enjoyable trip to the mighty Rotherham and all participants look forward to playing again in 2034!
Visit from German radio station to research the origins of walking football
Below is a photo of the Club members with Eddy from Deutschland Funk Radio in Germany, who was accompanied by his wife Ingrid. Eddy is in the UK to investigate the origins of Walking Football and of course, Chesterfield is the birthplace of the sport.
He interviewed several players to get their thoughts and opinions on the health benefits gained by participating walking football.
Eddy also watched our session with great interest before leaving for The Technique Stadium to interview John Croot, the Club's President and inventor of the modern form of Walking Football.
The Club presented the Guests with some small mementos of their visit. This included a Senior Spireites Mug, a Senior Spireites pen and a Club pennant.
Message from the Club's Chairman Malc Perks
Malc Perks, the Club's Chairman, tells us about how he got into Walking Football, the development of the Club and his thoughts on how it should progress in the future.
Click on the Download button to read the full article.
