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Congratulations Colin Yates!
Ray Lewis10 Jul - 15:42
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Now in the England over 60s Kicking Cancer Walking Football Squad
By Colin Yates ..
It’s an absolute honour to have been selected for the England over 60s Kicking Cancer Walking Football Squad. I can’t wait to join my fellow players for a training session in September with the prospect of playing in a series of exhibition and international matches thereafter. I look forward to becoming an ambassador for the Kicking Cancer project.
The Kicking Cancer Walking Football project was the idea of Tony Linforth-Hall (TLH) who sadly passed away in July 2023. In his honour, Tony’s initials are used in the title of the TLH Kicking Cancer Walking Football team. His idea was a simple one; to encourage those individuals living with or in remission from cancer to reap the benefits of playing walking football alongside like-minded individuals. His ambition was to form regional teams and eventually a national team. After many months in the making, his vision for a national team is finally coming to fruition.
England Kicking Cancer aims to create under 60’s and over 60’s teams with a total of ten players in each squad. In the near future Kicking Cancer (KC) would also like to develop an England Women team. The TLH Kicking Cancer social team will also continue in tandem, much like the Coventry & District Walking Football (CDWF) league and social teams.
My involvement with the TLH Kicking Cancer team started in 2023 through a chance meeting with John Cooper, an ex-England Walking Football International and a tireless advocate of the Kicking Cancer project. I played against John in a couple of ‘nomad’ games up at Coleshill. He’s a difficult player to mark! John informed me about his ‘Renal Clear Cell Cancer’ and I spoke about my recent prostatectomy operation. During our conversation John asked me to play in the Kicking Cancer team and to subsequently take on the role of captain, which was a great honour. In turn, I was delighted to suggest several players from the Coventry Macmillan group to join the squad.
Over the past 18 months, The Kicking Cancer team has played in a variety of exhibition matches and tournaments throughout the UK, with very good results. The stand out matches include games at Saint Georges Park, Arsenal, Millwall and Nottingham Forest football hubs, along with tournaments at Rushall and Northampton Town FC.
The process to become an official England team is not straightforward. The project has to receive the support of both the Walking Football Association (WFA) and The Football Association (FA). The football trials have rules too! The FA require that at least 24-28 players take part - four teams officiated by two qualified referees with two official scouts or spotters to select players or give feedback. The referees are strict, definitely no running, physical contact or verbal abuse!
So far, two trials have been completed. The first at Bishops Cleeve on 26th May and a follow up trial at Millwall FC on 6th July. Consequently 16 players have been selected for the under and over 60’s England teams. A third trial at Solihull is planned for July/August to decide the 4 remaining slots. Several players missed the dates through family holidays.
A brief note about the football trials, which were exhausting! Playing six matches of 15 minutes duration with a five-minute break in between. Teams included a goalkeeper and five outfield players. Substitutes were a luxury! In the majority of cases your teammates were total strangers, so you had to quickly develop a system of play – there was no room for prima donnas! The pitches at Bishops Cleeve were excellent and outdoors too, which provided some relief from the heat! Unlike Millwall Community Centre, which was indoors and was like playing in a hothouse!
Onwards and upwards!
Colin Yates
It’s an absolute honour to have been selected for the England over 60s Kicking Cancer Walking Football Squad. I can’t wait to join my fellow players for a training session in September with the prospect of playing in a series of exhibition and international matches thereafter. I look forward to becoming an ambassador for the Kicking Cancer project.
The Kicking Cancer Walking Football project was the idea of Tony Linforth-Hall (TLH) who sadly passed away in July 2023. In his honour, Tony’s initials are used in the title of the TLH Kicking Cancer Walking Football team. His idea was a simple one; to encourage those individuals living with or in remission from cancer to reap the benefits of playing walking football alongside like-minded individuals. His ambition was to form regional teams and eventually a national team. After many months in the making, his vision for a national team is finally coming to fruition.
England Kicking Cancer aims to create under 60’s and over 60’s teams with a total of ten players in each squad. In the near future Kicking Cancer (KC) would also like to develop an England Women team. The TLH Kicking Cancer social team will also continue in tandem, much like the Coventry & District Walking Football (CDWF) league and social teams.
My involvement with the TLH Kicking Cancer team started in 2023 through a chance meeting with John Cooper, an ex-England Walking Football International and a tireless advocate of the Kicking Cancer project. I played against John in a couple of ‘nomad’ games up at Coleshill. He’s a difficult player to mark! John informed me about his ‘Renal Clear Cell Cancer’ and I spoke about my recent prostatectomy operation. During our conversation John asked me to play in the Kicking Cancer team and to subsequently take on the role of captain, which was a great honour. In turn, I was delighted to suggest several players from the Coventry Macmillan group to join the squad.
Over the past 18 months, The Kicking Cancer team has played in a variety of exhibition matches and tournaments throughout the UK, with very good results. The stand out matches include games at Saint Georges Park, Arsenal, Millwall and Nottingham Forest football hubs, along with tournaments at Rushall and Northampton Town FC.
The process to become an official England team is not straightforward. The project has to receive the support of both the Walking Football Association (WFA) and The Football Association (FA). The football trials have rules too! The FA require that at least 24-28 players take part - four teams officiated by two qualified referees with two official scouts or spotters to select players or give feedback. The referees are strict, definitely no running, physical contact or verbal abuse!
So far, two trials have been completed. The first at Bishops Cleeve on 26th May and a follow up trial at Millwall FC on 6th July. Consequently 16 players have been selected for the under and over 60’s England teams. A third trial at Solihull is planned for July/August to decide the 4 remaining slots. Several players missed the dates through family holidays.
A brief note about the football trials, which were exhausting! Playing six matches of 15 minutes duration with a five-minute break in between. Teams included a goalkeeper and five outfield players. Substitutes were a luxury! In the majority of cases your teammates were total strangers, so you had to quickly develop a system of play – there was no room for prima donnas! The pitches at Bishops Cleeve were excellent and outdoors too, which provided some relief from the heat! Unlike Millwall Community Centre, which was indoors and was like playing in a hothouse!
Onwards and upwards!
Colin Yates
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