Walking football has been a feature of Tranmere in the Community’s work over the past five years, and 70-year-old Barry Williams has recently reached the landmark of 250 attended sessions.
Speaking after one of the popular, well attended Friday morning sessions at our Recreation Centre, Williams still had a spring in his step and a smile on his face. He was though unaware of his remarkable achievement of playing within a stone’s throw of the Prenton Park pitch a staggering 250 times.
He said: “I didn’t know that; he’s just told me now.” He said with an element of surprise in his voice.
Barry has been turning up to play ever since the second session in 2014, after a family member attended the first. The chance to kick a ball again was an opportunity too good to turn down, as football is a sport that he has enjoyed his whole life.
“I think it was the second session I come along. My brother-in-law went to the first and I come along to the second. I think it was 2014 when I first started.”
“I started coming because of circumstances and basically I was retired and wanted something to do. I’ve played football all of my life, so I thought I'd come.”
Past retirement age, it seems laughing and joking doesn’t disappear for the men who play every week. This aspect is something Barry enjoys, and it makes him keep coming back, despite turning 70 at the beginning of May.
“(I enjoy) playing the football obviously but I enjoy the crack with the lads. I enjoy it. There’s no animosity, there’s no nastiness or nothing like that so it’s good.
“(it’s special) to keep playing football at my age. I turned 70 the other week.”
He is eager for new faces to attend and enjoy playing no matter what their abilities may be.
He concluded: “Just come, just come along. No one judges you even if you can’t kick a ball, they won’t take the mick or anything like that.
“You can just play because there’s decent players and there’s players that just come along, just for enjoyment and getting out the house.”
For more information about our walking football sessions, please contact SteveW@tranmererovers.co.uk or call 0151 608 2354