Walking football marathon at Stratford Sports Club raises over £3,000 for Samaritans

IT was a case of walk, don’t run at Stratford Sports Club last week as 144 people took part in a walking football fundraiser.

On Saturday 31st May from 8am to 8pm, 12 games of walking football were played out at the club with all funds raised going towards the Stratford branch of the Samaritans. Organised by Alcester Town Walking Football Club member Chris Onslow, teams from various businesses and clubs took part including barbershops, pubs and two teams from NFU Mutual.

Amongst the teams was one from the Herald, who went up against The Happy Hipsters - a side made of players who have undergone hip surgery. The match was close at half time, with the Hipsters leading 1-0. In the second half things opened up and the Herald ran out 9-6 winners in the end.

In a day that was full of fun and positive atmosphere, over £3,000 was raised for the charity. During what was a mammoth attempt, Chris played for every team across the day. He was also delighted to confirm that he was successful in his attempt to score in each match.

A few days later and after much of the tiredness had left his legs, he spoke to the Herald about a weekend that made him proud to live in Stratford.

“I couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome,” Chris said.

“It was a challenge building 24 teams, 144 players and asking people to pay £5. We lost teams along the way and then we got new teams. On Saturday night I could hardly walk, I think I underestimated the time I would spend playing, but we’ve raised £3,000 which is phenomenal.

The walking football idea was an attempt to do something different when it came to a fundraising event.

“I said to Mark Pritchard-Jeffs, who is a trustee at the Samaritans, that if you're going to raise money, it has to be innovative. You've got to do something new, you can't go on a walk or climb a mountain - they've seen it all.”

Chris was thankful for those who supported not only himself but the charity day as a whole.

“My wife Kelly was there supporting me, keeping me hydrated and worrying about me. I couldn't have done it if she wasn't there and the same goes for the friends that came along.

“I played the first game like I do walking football normally. I went for it and I probably shouldn’t have, but I couldn't help it. Before the halfway mark of the day I could feel that I was going to struggle.

“What's amazing is when I got to about the ninth hour, I thought ‘I've only got three hours to go’ and people say, ‘oh that’s still a long time’ but actually it didn't feel like it at that point.”

There were good celebrations on the full time whistle in the 12th and final match, and they involved Chris being surrounded by players and given a huge round of applause.

“There was euphoria at the end. It was Stratford at its best. I love this town and I wouldn't live anywhere else on this planet.”

Mark Pritchard-Jeffs, trustee of the Stratford Samaritans, was at the sports club for the marathon football event.

“The thing I've been impressed about most is that everybody turned up from 8am,” Mark told the Herald.

“I saw loads of games where there were men and women playing equally together. They played in a great spirit, everyone had a laugh.”

Mark added: “We answer about 20,000 calls a year. Since the lockdown, we've really struggled because we don't get any government funding and we're an independent charity within Stratford. We've found it very difficult to meet our operating budget, so we've been out doing stuff like this. It costs us £5 to answer a call.

“One in four of all the calls we receive are from someone feeling suicidal, so every £20 we raise makes a massive difference. Everyone giving their time for the benefit of others is greatly appreciated.”

The event was organised in conjunction with Alcester Town Walking Football Club and Chris extended a special thanks to Stratford Sports Club for hosting. To donate to the fundraiser - visit https://shorturl.at/2CFmJ.