LATEST NEWS
Please feel free to browse the latest news from our Club. We aim to keep this section as up-to-date as possible so that we can keep everyone abreast of what we do.
SCHOOL MATES FROM OVER 60 YEARS AGO REUNITE
TO PLAY WALKING FOOTBALL
Three former school friends from more than 60 years ago have reunited and are playing football again. Richard Arnold, Derrick Saddler and Peter Driver were all members of the all-conquering Monkwick Secondary School year group (now Thomas Lord Audley) back in the mid-1960s and are now playing for Stanway Rovers Walking Football Club.
The trio first played together in their final year at Monkwick Junior school in 1963 before making the short journey across the road to play for five years at the secondary school. They became the best school football team in northeast Essex winning trophies in every season thanks to efforts of their highly respected sports teacher, Peter Hurst. Up until this time Wilson Marriage was the premier football school in the area, often providing a pathway to Colchester United, but the rise of successive footballing sides at Monkwick altered the balance.
Richard Arnold, who played consistently at right back for those six years said,
“They were great times and we became the dominant school in the area, mainly due to our brilliant sports teacher, Peter Hurst. He gave up so much of his spare time to coach not only us, but the other year teams above and below us. Two of our team, Alan Dennis and Adrian Webster, went on to sign for Colchester United and our goalkeeper, Colin Potten, signed for Ipswich.
“Alan was on the bench for the famous Colchester v Leeds FA cup match and Adrian went on to play in fledgling North American Soccer League (NASL). He captained Seattle Sounders in the 1977 Soccer Bowl final against New York Cosmos, which featured Pele, former Brazil captain Carlos Alberto and Germany’s legend Franz Beckenbauer. Not bad for a boy from Monkwick!”
Adrian sadly died of Motor Neuron Disease (MND) a couple of years ago and Richard and Derrick wanted to do something in his honour and decided that if he had lived, he probably would have given walking football a go.
Derrick Saddler added,
“Adrian was a true friend, a great human being and we knew he would have taken to walking football. We looked around and saw that Stanway Rovers were trying to add players to their walking football squads. We went to our first training session and were instantly hooked. To be playing football again, all these years later, was an incredible feeling. The guys at Stanway were so welcoming; it’s a very inclusive club and we’ve made some brilliant new mates.”
Walking football is non-contact and slow-paced. In this version of football, players WALK instead of run. It is typically played on smaller pitches with fewer players. It is designed to be accessible for older adults and provides a sociable way for them to stay active. People with injuries or those with mobility issues can also enjoy the sport. Key rules include no running; slide tackles and physical contact are not allowed; kick-ins replace throw-ins. These rules contribute to a lower-risk and less demanding experience, while keeping the core elements of football.
Peter Driver concluded,
“A few months after they began playing, Dick and Derrick contacted me to see if I wanted to join them. I will readily admit I was very sceptical. Also, I’ve had replacement knee operations, one on the right knee and two on my left knee, which has resulted in me walking with a slight limp, so I didn’t think it would be for me.
“How wrong can you be? From the very first training session, I knew I’d found my tribe. The camaraderie, the banter, the respect for each other was absolutely brilliant. It was like 60 years just rolling away. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be playing football at the tender age of 73. We all went on the recent club tour to southern Spain, which was a blast, and have just played our first friendly for our Over 70s squad.
“We’re still looking to add more Over 70s to our squad, so that we can compete in league games next season. If anyone fancies giving it a go, we train at The Stanway School on Monday evenings from 5.00 pm. I promise you’ll receive a warm welcome.”
PLAYERS ATTEND ESSEX BOOK FESTIVAL LAUNCH
Players from Stanway Rovers Walking Football Club attended the launch of the Essex Book Festival at the Colchester United stadium recently. The festival was established by Essex County Council in 1999 to celebrate the book in all its forms with the widest possible audiences. It has grown exponentially since then and is now recognised as one of the leading festivals of its kind in the East of England.
Walking Football Club secretary Phil McCusker said, “An unusual setting you might think to promote Stanway Rovers walking football club. However, with the venue at Colchester United and the theme being the World Cup, it was an ideal venue to promote our club and the benefits of walking football for physical and mental well-being.
“Authors Jonathan Wilson and Simon Kuper were speaking about the history of the World Cup and we used our Subbuteo table and stand as a fun way to kick off a period of recruitment for our women’s team, where we are partnered with the University of Essex as part of a research study to engage menopausal women in community-based walking football.
“We are recruiting up to 30 women to get involved during the Summer. If anyone is interested in playing walking football at Stanway Rovers or would like more information, please get in touch by email at stanwayroverswf@gmail.com.”
The Essex Book Festival runs throughout June and details of events can be found via this link. https://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/
STROLLERS SUNDAY SOCIAL SEASON STARTS
The Strollers played their first round of friendlies on Easter Sunday. We played four games: drew the first against Regent Brightlingsea 0-0, lost the second to Little Oakley 1-0, lost the third to Foxash 1-2 with James Gooch getting off the mark for the season and drew the final game against Clacton Rhinos 0-0. Our mixed squad performed reasonably well, but there’s obviously room for improvement.
Peter Driver stepped up and refereed his first two ‘official’ games; the first being a baptism of fire, a lively encounter between Holland Rhinos and Clacton Knights – two fierce rivals who turned up with virtually their first team squads.
Commenting after the matches, team manager Roger Cable said,
“Thanks everyone for making my first attempt at management a breeze. Exceptional goalkeeping from Lee (Clifton) and congratulations to James (Gooch), our first goalscorer. Also praise to Peter, our homegrown referee. I’m so proud to be a member of Stanway Rovers Walking Football Club”
BRIGHT START FOR OUR NEW WOMEN’S TEAM
Back row (l-r): Andrea Fletcher, Ann Ord, Nicola Lay, Anja Warburton,
Denise Grimshaw. Front row: Francis Rees, Rachel Hynes, Jo Pullen,
Denise Boothman, Sharon Perry
Our recently formed Women’s team are competing in the Essex Women’s Walking Football League (EWWFL). The team was formed in July last year and their inaugural season began on 21 March at Baddow High School in Chelmsford.
Their first competitive fixture was against Billericay Town Red and resulted in a 1-0 defeat. The next game was against Romford Randoms Yellow. It was their first competitive win and by a narrow margin of 1-0. Rachel Hynes scored the all-important goal. Beacon Hill Rovers White were the next opposition. Our Ladies won this with Anja Warburton scoring the only goal of the game.
The contest with Valley Green Emeralds ended in a 0-0 draw. This was followed by a couple of defeats. They lost to Billericay Town White 0-1 and then to Harlow Town Pirates Blue 0-2. The final match was against Romford Randoms Blue ended on a positive note with another 1-0 victory. Rachel Hynes again scored the solitary goal.
Team Manager Ian McDermott commented,
“We wanted to add a Women’s team to the club. We advertised extensively last summer and autumn for players. A local club was folding and one of their players saw our Facebook advert. Three of them came along, then the advert attracted a few more and we managed to put a squad together.
We played a series of pre-season friendlies. These included tournaments and matches against EFL-affiliated teams Leyton Orient and Ipswich Town. We also played local matches, including Beacon Hill Ladies and Foxash Ladies. These efforts have certainly paid off.
“In this first round of league fixtures, the team played 7 matches. They won 3, lost 3, and drew 1. This resulted in 10 points and a top 4 league position. A superb first-time effort from our ladies and a credit to our club.”
The club has also secured sponsorship for the Women’s team. SVC Solutions Ltd is the Gold Sponsor. EXL Driving School and Core Fusion Skip Hire are Silver sponsors.
Amanda Coulson is the Founder and CEO of SVC Solutions. She commented saying, “I am delighted to support the Stanway Rovers Women’s Walking Football Team. I’m exceptionally pleased that they got off to such a good start in their first round of fixtures.
WALKING FOOTBALL REFEREES COURSE
Five members of the club attended an FA-sponsored walking football referee’s course at Chelmer Valley High School in Chelmsford. This day-long course provided fascinating insights into managing a walking football match. It combined classroom and practical learning. Video content was used to highlight offences and there was often lively discussion during question time at the end.
However, the venue left a lot to be desired. All who attended agreed that the acoustics in the classroom were not good and the video screen was too small. Also, there were too many attendees for the two trainers to control. The acoustics in the Sports Hall were even worse during the practical training. Overall, the training team did their best in the trying circumstances. The knowledge they managed to impart will certainly help our volunteer refs in the future.
The attendees were Richard Arnold, Ian McDermott, Trevor Britton, Francis (Pixie) Rees and Peter Driver.
ESSEX WALKING FOOTBALL LEAGUE BEGINS
The 2026 season began on 7 March with the Over 60s Saturday team in action. The first game against Clacton Knights ended with a 2-0 defeat. This was followed by a game against Heybridge Swifts, which finished in 1-1 draw. The final game saw us face Billericay Town Whites and this was a free-scoring affair, ending in a 2-2 draw. After this first round of matches, the team are 6th in the table.
The following weekend saw the Over 50s begin their Division 1 season. The first game was a close fought contest against Billericay Town Red. It resulted in a 1-0 win. Chelmsford City Clarets were up next and in another close game, which we won with only goal of the game.
The final game against Little Oakley Whites ended in a marginal 2-1 defeat. Their winning goal came from a fourth running offence. It resulted in a penalty! Little Oakley White occupy the top position, but with 6 points we lie in 3rd place.