Walking footballers join the Hastings United family

Hastings 1066 Walking Football Club are to rebrand and join Hastings United FC as their first walking football team.
The walking football club have joined up with Hastings United FCThe walking football club have joined up with Hastings United FC
The walking football club have joined up with Hastings United FC

Hastings 1066 Walking Football Club was formed in 2020 to provide a fun and engaging environment for over 50s to enjoy playing football in the town. The club will be rebranded as Hastings United Walking Football and will play in our familiar claret and blue strips.

Billy Wood, club CEO and chairman, said: “I am delighted to bring Hastings 1066 to the club, it’s imperative that as a club we look to make football accessible to all, regardless of age or gender, brining Phil Aspinall and his team to Hastings United shows our commitment in doing so. We bring in a club with the same mindset and vision to be part of what we believe could be the most exciting era in the club’s history.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Phil Aspinall, Hastings 1066 Walking Football chairman, said: " We call it our Cage of Dreams and our 20 playing members are all very excited about the merger with United. We started playing walking football as a small group some 6 years ago through Active Hastings, and grew to the point where we formed our own club.

"To merge with our local club, who have great ambitions of their own, is tremendous for us all and for the town. The team aspect of playing regularly and the laughs we have are a definite boost to levels of fitness and wellbeing.”

Hastings United Walking Football Club will continue to have an executive committee oversee day to day operations of walking football with Billy Wood joining the committee.

The Us walkers are already entered in the National Walking Football Cup and are affiliated to the Walking Football Association and will play in the Sussex League against teams from Bexhill, Brighton, Battle, Hailsham and Eastbourne among others. Training is weekly in the MUGA (multi use games arena) at Alexandra Park.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The club has a squad which includes Hastings United Academy Coach Russell Small who serves as the Training and Development coach. The oldest player is 80 and the membership includes a television producer, stand up comedian, and a host of trades including plumbers, carpenters and a refuse collector. The majority of members are in their 50s and 60s and there are two players in their 70s.

Aspinall added: " The club is growing week by week and we are always keen to recruit new players. Anyone - men or women - who used to play or wants to have fun again with football and get fit can contact us through our website. If you want to have a go, relive those goals you scored in the school playground or for the pub team, whatever level you are at, this is the place to be. "

Current sessions are Mondays 6-8pm and Saturdays 10-11.30am at Alexandra Park MUGA. £1 fee. First session free.