Similarly to fellow Grassroots Grants winners Barnstaple Ability FC, Uxbridge Amblers are a club dedicated to making football as accessible as possible. The Amblers give a route back into the beautiful game for those who may have thought their footballing careers were all but a distant memory.
The walking football club were founded in August 2014 by Mick Geraghty and Mick Harvey and have gone from strength to strength. They currently host two sessions a week for 50 players aged between 50 and 75 years old. In 2016 they achieved FA Charter Standard status, the first independent walking football club to do so.
Following knee and hip replacements, joint club founder Mick Geraghty thought he would be limited to just watching the sport he loves. That all changed when alongside fellow founder Mick Harvey, they came up with the idea to start a walking football club. “I never thought I would play again but the Uxbridge Amblers has given me and 50 other people the chance to play recreational and competitive football again. Being part of a club, the banter, making new friends and getting regular exercise are the real benefits of walking football.”
As well as providing the over 50s with their weekly dose of the sport they love, the Amblers have become a force for good within the wider community too. The club have raised in excess of £13k over the last four years for charities including The Brain Tumour Group, Dementia Friends and the Disability Association of Hillingdon. The club continue to support good causes in a number of ways, most notably by founding a volunteer group, who deliver Seated Football and reminiscence sessions to dementia groups.
Their most recent fundraising event was a charity “Dribblethon”. This helped to raise £1100 for good causes and featured a visit from the Mayor of Hillingdon.
They are excelling on the pitch too. They won the Thames Valley League and the Woking Cup this year and continue to compete at the highest level of walking football.
Looking forward, Mick wants to continue aiding the growth of the club and walking football as a whole. One area that Mick is keen to help develop is the women’s game, starting with an over 35s team.
At Kitlocker.com we feel very proud to award Uxbridge Amblers with their Grassroots Grant and shine a light on one of the fastest growing areas of grassroots football. Mick is also pleased that walking football is beginning to get some of the attention it deserves. “For a Walking Football Club to win demonstrates that finally our version of the beautiful game is being recognised as part of the Grassroots family. The grant is going to be used on providing our members with rain jackets, a thank you for their tireless support in making the club one that the others follow.”
Congratulations to Uxbridge Amblers on winning the grant and their continued success on and off the pitch. If you would like to find out more about Uxbridge Amblers, click here to view their website or check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
To find a walking football club near you, visit walkingfootball.com