OVER 65s REP TEAM

Over 65s Rep Team

This is where you will find out everything there is to know about the Essex Walking Football League Over 65s Representative team.

Manager: Gary Murphy

Email: garymurphyse65s@gmail.com

The squad's home grounds are Billericay FC, Blunts Wall, Billericay and Heybridge Swifts, Maldon.

The team train three or four times a year. The League are also quite lucky to have contacts at regional level and are often invited to take a team to regional training sessions for practice matches.

National tournaments include: Walking Football Leagues Alliance Inter League Cup being held in Redditch and the South East Intercounty Tournament being held in Cheltenham.

Any player who wants to can put themselves forward by contacting Gary Murphy at the contact email address above.

See below for regular updates

Wakering Over 65s Lift Cup

Wakering Walking FC over 65s survived the veritable 'group of death' to eventually lift the EWFL Over 65s Cup. Facing tough competition in Southend, Leyton Orient and previous winners, Chelmsford City, Wakering made it out of the group to play Little Oakley Red in a very even final. Little Oakley Red had overcome Billericay Blue, Eastwood Falcons Yellow and Little Oakley Blue to make it to the final.

The final itself was an even match of two teams that were giving nothing away and inevetably resulted in a nil - nil score after twenty minutes. This meant the result had to be decided by the dread penalty shoot out and Wakering prevailed by the narrowest of margins - three goals to two.

15 October 2024

Trevor Ridley

Essex Are South of England Champions

On Saturday 3rd March Essex won the over 65s South of England County Tournament held at Bishop Cleeve FC in Cheltenham. In a repeat of the 2023 final Essex revenged their previous loss to Somerset by beating the West Country boys 2-1 in the final.

Essex and Somerset will now play against two finalists from the Northern Tournament, Stafford and Cheshire, in a four team tournament. The winners will be crowned as National Champions. No date has yet been fixed but the Finals will be held at Bishop Cleeve FC.

Results on the day:

Group Stage tables:

Group 1:

Hampshire 8pts

Bucks 6pts

London 2pts

Group 2:

Somerset 8pts

Oxford 6pts

Devon 0pts

Group 3:

Wiltshire 8pts

Dorset 6pts

Cornwall 1pts

Group 4:

Essex 10pts

Gloucester 7pts

Worcester 0pts

Quarter-Finals:

Oxford 2 v 1 Hampshire

Somerset 1 v 0 Bucks

Wiltshire 2 v 0 Gloucester

Essex 3 v 0 Dorset

Semi-Finals:

Somerset 2 v 0 Oxford

Essex 1 v 0 Wiltshire

Final:

Essex 2 v 1 Somerset

Essex over 65s Squad: Peter Henry, Paul Arbor, Steve Gawn (Gk), Paul Tregent, Colin Haydon, Danny Spencer, Brendan O'Mahoney, Glenn Mitchell.

Manager: Gary Murphy

Assistant manager: Peter Orford

3 March 2024

Gary Murphy

Essex Rep Teams Enter National Cups

For the first time the Essex Walking Football League, the largest league by number of teams and players in the country, has entered three teams in the Walking Football Leagues Alliance (WFLA) Inter League Cup. The teams entered are the over 50s, over 60s and over 65s and each will compete in their own age specific tournament.

All the details that are available at the moment are that the tournament will take place at Redditch FC stadium on Sunday 12th May 2024. More information will be posted when it is received.

19 February 2024

Trevor Ridley

Rep Teams Next Season

The Essex Walking Football League (EWFL) have Representative sides at over 50s, over 60s, over 65s, and over 70s.

The players who represent the EWFL are drawn from the very best players who play for clubs who participate in the league and league cup compititions.

Representative football is more prevalent during the EWFL closed season as it is very hard to get players together with league, cup, and outside club tournaments taking place during the season/summer months.

At the over 60s, over 65s and over 70s age groups the League are lucky to have week day sessions at two excellent facilities that are Billericay FC and Heybridge Swifts FC.

Rep 50s - Unfortunately the league have tried to fulfil the 50s section but with most of them still working it has proven almost impossible to find local training facilities in the evening or at weekends that suit.

The League's over 65s Representative side took part in the South East twelve counties tournament in Chippenham early in 2023. The team did very well only losing on penalties in the final. It was a very long day with the final ending up being played with the flood lights on! The team came away with a nice trophy which was given out by ex spurs legend Steve Perryman.

At the end of last lesson the over 65s also played in the Walking Football League Alliance inter County tournament in Leek. Again the team had a successful day coming runners up in a round robin on goal difference. During the winter months the coaching staff try to have a mixed training session around once a month and look for a county tournament to give the lads something to focus there training sessions on.

The League are also quite lucky to have contacts at regional level and quite often are invited to take a team to there training session for practice matches.

Manager of the over 65s, Gary Murphy is looking forward to the 2024 season; "I'm looking forward to taking the representative teams from runners up in 2023 to winners in the 2024 season. Our aim this next winter is to hold a county tournament of our own."