Rangers FC hosted Walking Football Festival
Rangers Charity Foundation has hosted the first of 4 planned walking football festivals as part of the European walking football league in conjunction with the European Football Development Network.
6 mixed teams of players over 50 gathered at Benburb on Sunday 31st July, each team playing 5 x 10 minute games in a league table format before playing 5th against 6th, 3rd against 4th play offs and a final. The Rangers Football Fans In Training (FFIT) team came out on top beating Giffnock 2-1 in the final.
FFIT is another popular community programme run by the Foundation in partnership with the SPFL Trust under the Healthy Lives pillar, which offers males and females aged between 35 – 65 years the opportunity to improve their fitness, lose weight and train with fellow Rangers fans at Ibrox. This season, 107 adults lost a collective total of 88 stones and 299 inches!
“It was really inspirational to see so many men and women aged between 50-72 being active and playing walking football with a smile.”
John Joyce, Community Coach
The festival follows a 16 week delivery block of walking football sessions which were based at Bellahouston Palace of Art on Thursdays at 11am. Participants from the Thursday group have already represented the Foundation at the first international tournament in Breda, Netherlands and the Scottish football club has another 8 participants due to travel to Leverkusen in September. Block 2 of the FREE weekly walking football delivery is due to start on Thursday the 18th of August.