Active aging walking football

Gloucestershire FAs womens football innovation fund

We are supporting ACTIVE AGEING BRISTOL, with funding through the FA's Female Game Innovation Funding.

Gloucestershire FA Women’s Football Innovation Funding

GLOUCESTERSHIRE FA is delighted to support ACTIVE AGEING BRISTOL, a collaboration between Bristol Sport Foundation, St Monica Trust and The Anchor Society, with funding through the FA’s Female Game Innovation Funding.

With the excitement of the Women's World Cup looming, Gloucestershire FA are supporting unique projects that meet the ‘Football For All’ ethos and embrace the Gloucestershire FA’s vision of ‘Inspiring Everyone to Engage in Football.’

Working with ACTIVE AGEING BRISTOL, Gloucestershire FA have provided £1,184.00 of funding through the Women’s Football Innovation Fund to support and help establish a Women’s Walking Football offer in the Bristol area, using Horfield Leisure Centre as a Hub for the activity. 

Karen Lloyd, Active Ageing Bristol Manager commented ‘There are limited football specific opportunities for Women 40+ who want to get involved in football where mainstream, competitive football is not an option. We will organise weekly sessions over the summer to coincide with the Women’s World Cup and use this as a tool to drive participation and community engagement’. 

‘We are aiming to build a partnership link with Bristol United Walking Football Club, with a view to creating a women's strand to become part of the existing club structure’. 

‘Bristol Utd Walking FC was established a couple of years ago now and is open to all over the age of 50, however they have very few Women taking part so we want to help create a bespoke opportunity to ensure that Women can access this particular version of the game’. 


Funding has been offered to 4 projects in total which engage and inspire females from under-represented communities and can demonstrate at least 1 of the following objectives;


- Pilot opportunities for girls and women from diverse backgrounds to play, lead, coach, volunteer, officiate or be role models in their communities 
- Support an increase in Women's Adult Recreational Football, e.g. Just Play - Vets, Novice Women, Mums, Soccercise, Women's Walking Football 
- Increase opportunities for girls and women with disabilities to play 
- Social responsibility football projects where females have traditionally not been targeted (e.g. refugees & asylum seekers, offenders, faith groups


Alexis Lunn-Gadd, Football Development Officer for Women’s and Girls’ Football at Gloucestershire FA quoted, ‘We are delighted to be able to support  Active Ageing Bristol with funding to help them create Women’s Walking Football sessions for those aged 40+ in the Bristol Area. We’ve tasked Active Ageing Bristol with engaging at least 20 females over the next 12 weeks in collaboration with Bristol United Walking Football Club as well as support a volunteer to attend an FA Level 1 to support their individual development and develop their leadership skills.’


Sessions start on Wednesday 5th June from 6pm – 7pm at Horfield Leisure Centre 3G Pitches. 
For more info, Contact Keith Gwilym on 07948 383536 /buwfc2018@gmail.com 

To get involved in this or any other our Innovation Projects please contact support@GloucestershireFA.com or follow us on social media @GlosFA