Staffordshire Walking Football League

Following the success of the first ever Staffordshire Walking Football League in 2022, this past Sunday (22nd October) saw the conclusion of the second season, in partnership with Staffordshire County Senior League.

The season finale was held at St George’s Park, the home of all England teams, and once again saw some exhilarating games in both our over 50s and over 60s age groups. 

The season began back in April 2023 and has seen 9 teams in total take part in the league competition across two age groups. Matches took part once a month at a variety of venues around the county, Beaconside Sports and Fitness in Stafford, Newcastle Town’s brand new 3G facility at Roe Lane, and Cardinal Griffin High School in Cannock.

Additionally, to the league competition that ran from April to October, we took a break from league action in July to host the Staffordshire Walking Football League Invitational Cup. This saw 4 additional teams join us for a 1-day tournament in both age groups which saw Forest Vets take home the over 50s cup with a 2-0 win over MSA Strollers, and Stoke City narrowly beat Chesterton Crusaders in the over 60s to take home what would turn out to be the first part of a trophy double for them this season.

Heading into the final league fixtures of the season it was still all to play for in the over 60s age group, which saw Stoke City leading the way, and a chasing pack containing Chesterton Crusaders, Market Drayton Dynamo and MSA Strollers, all hoping results would go their way and see themselves come out on top. 

Stark contrast in the over 50s division, which had seen Chesterton Crusaders secure the title with games to spare following September’s fixtures. MSA Strollers, Stone Old Alleynians and Port Vale were all hoping to end the season strongly and battled it out for 2nd place. 

A special mention also to all of the referees and officials who have also been a part of the league this season, who have done a fantastic job at learning the rules and implementing them as well as any changes throughout the year to help ensure the smooth running of fixtures each month. 

As the fixtures drew to a close this Sunday, Chesterton Crusaders were awarded the title they had wrapped up prematurely through some fantastic performances across the season. Congratulations to all players and officials involved!

The conclusion of the over 60s division came shortly after, which saw Stoke City hold off the chasing pack and secure a Staffordshire Walking Football League and Cup double in 2023. Once again, congratulations to all players and officials who played their part across the season!

Plans for the 2024 season are now already underway, with the league hoping to continue to grow and improve year on year. If you and your team are interested in finding out more information on how to join the league and what it entails, please get in touch with Jake Triggs at Staffordshire FA – Jake.Triggs@StaffordshireFA.com.