The SFP Trust was delighted to be able to support Walking Football Scotland at their recent Scottish Cup and Festival at Glasgow Green on Saturday, 23rd June.
The Minister for Public Health and Sport, Aileen Campbell MSP kicked-off the Festival as Baillie Russell Robertson of Glasgow City Council welcomed everyone to the event, which was one of the biggest of its kind in the UK.
Walking Football Scotland Chairman Gary McLaughlin said: “We are absolutely delighted with the event today. We had over 600 people on Glasgow Green, engaged and active through walking football. Everything was so good – the weather was fantastic, the competition, although keen, was played in an exceptionally sporting temperament and the non-competitive Festival was walking football at its best. The challenge will be trying to better it next year!”
Ian Maxwell, Chief Executive of The Scottish FA also lent his support to the event and it was good to see a number of celebrities and former players taking part in walking football.
A total of 32 teams participated in the Scottish Cup – the 24 teams in the non-competitive Festival put the icing on the cake. The event ended with a dramatic final between Gretna 2008 v Ayr United F.C. resulting in a 2-2 draw, with Gretna winning the Cup on penalty kicks… drama till the end!
Players travelled from across Scotland and the team with possibly the furthest to travel went home with the Fair Play Award : Well done Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The event was a fantastic celebration of walking football and it was incredible to witness so many teams from across Scotland coming together to play walking football. Football has something really special which brings people together and it doesn’t matter how young or old you are – the game is there for everyone to enjoy!