JERSEY winning the World Cup. That sounds far fetched, whatever sport they would be competing in. Certainly in football.
But they have a chance this week when they take part in the inaugural Walking Football World Nations Cup at the home of England football – St George’s Park.
When plans were unveiled to stage the event, originally scheduled for 2020, Jersey put their name forward. They were accepted and now they will be going toe to toe against countries from around the world.
Taking part in the Over-50s competition, Jersey have been drawn in Group B with Italy, Japan, Singapore, Georgia, the Caribbean, Nigeria and the Basque Country. Group A includes England, Spain, Czechia, Wales, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda and Egypt.
The tournament runs from Thursday to Saturday and presents an opportunity for Islanders who may never have dreamt of having the chance of pitting their wits against some of the best in the world.
Taking the team for the historical event is Jersey FA chief executive David Kennedy.
‘It’s an amazing opportunity for a group of players who would have thought such chances as these were well behind them,’ said Kennedy.
‘When it comes to men’s and women’s football, we know that we are effectively restricted by UEFA, but now [with walking football] we are able to compete against some massive nations: Spain, Czech Republic, England, Australia.
‘What a great challenge for players over 50 who would never have envisaged that this opportunity would come along who hung up their boots over ten, 15 years ago.’
That sentiment is shared by Jason Pierre, one of the 12 players named in the squad.
‘It’s unexpected. When you get to a certain age, you don’t expect these things to come along. I didn’t start playing walking football thinking this opportunity would happen so it’s all a bonus really and one you’ve got to take and enjoy,’ he said.
‘The fact it’s at St George’s Park, the home of England football, staying in the same hotel the England team would stay in, the facilities and 4G pitches, just being in the area, taking it all in – it’s very exciting.’
The first ever tournament of its kind for walking football, it is a journey into the unknown for everyone taking part, not just the Jersey players. Kennedy admits that they don’t know who they will be facing, what the standard will be like, how the other teams approach the game and how they interpret the rules of walking football. Nevertheless, they have prepared as best they can, working on fitness and tactics to give themselves a fighting chance.
‘The boys’ attitude has been absolutely brilliant. They’ve bought into the preparation of the last eight weeks, including specific fitness sessions at Funktion Fitness. We’ve had team meetings and tactical coaching sessions every week,’ added Kennedy.
‘It’s really important recognising a system that works and provides a level of confidence going into a big tournament like this.
‘The big one, with this particular format of the game, is that there is a leveller, which is walking, which reduces those moments of individual brilliance, which can happen all the time in 11-a-side games.
‘So ultimately, what you have to rely on is a system that involves a goalkeeper and five outfield players working together for the full 14 minutes of that game. If one person switches off for a little bit, you can be punished because of the transition.
‘One of the actual skills in itself is to power-walk and that can be a physical challenge. The level of exertion you put into that is quite significant. We are going to playing potentially ten games, which gives you an insight into the level of endurance the players will need.
‘We have been working on constantly being on the move, thinking two steps ahead, otherwise teams could pick us off quite easily. But we’ve really taken the players a step above from when they’ve been playing in the walking-football league.’
That league has gone from strength in recent years, with more teams and more players taking part than ever. This is the first Walking World Cup for every country, as well as Jersey, and a good showing there will ensure it won’t be the last.
Squad: Steve Martin, Neil Little, Paul Lennon, Steven Cumming, Simon Logan, Steven Neild, James Sutcliffe, Jason Pierre, Jean-Luc Debois, Denis McEnery, Darryl Le Poidevin, Nigel Godfrey
Schedule
24 August
11.30am: v Caribbean
2.50pm: v Japan
4.30pm: v Singapore
25 August
8.30am: v Italy
12.40pm: v Basque Country
4pm: v Nigeria
Matches are being streamed live via recast.tv/FIWFA
