Walking footballers ready to take on tournament
· Yahoo Sports
Walking footballers are gearing up to compete in a major tournament.
Some who have waited decades to play the sport will represent north-east England in their first Walking Football Association (WFA) Women's Super League in Gloucester on 17 May.
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Many of the players said they could only dream of taking part in a sport historically dominated by men, but now some are also competing for spots in the national side.
Centre-forward Jackie Freeman, 61 and from Saltburn, said she was "really looking forward" to playing in the tournament and felt confident the teams would win.
"Since I was little I always kicked a football about," she said.
After playing regular football from the age of 17, she was selected for national training sessions with England but said she "couldn't afford to go" which was "sickening".
"I got over it and put it aside, I had to pay for myself I had no job," she said.
Players said they felt confident ahead of the clash [Simon Thurlow]Freeman got married at 24 and "missed the football" for 35 years while focusing on family life and running a shoe repair business.
But two years ago, her family encouraged her to play again.
The mother-of-three said she joined the Redcar Town Ladies Development football team playing regular 11-aside football and the Stokesley walking football team.
After first getting back into football she said she could "hardly walk the next day" but the training had got her fitter.
"I'm really excited about playing in it [Super League], I'm looking forward to it and I'm confident," she said.
The North East Team will travel down to Gloucester [Simon Thurlow]Julie Norris, 56, from Guisborough, helps coach women in their 40s as part of the regional team.
The former deputy headteacher, who will represent England as part of a Parkinson's women's walking football team in September, said she was grateful for the opportunity having studied sport at university.
She said the skills of the women she supported in the regional team were "incredible".
She added she was "proud and excited" and felt the women would thoroughly enjoy themselves.
WFA North East regional manager Janette Hynes said it was the first team she had entered from the region [Simon Thurlow]Lisa Shepherd, 41, from Middlesbrough said she got into the sport when looking for for exercise that was "not too harsh" on her knees following surgery.
She said she used to play football as a teen and had to stop because of her knee injury and after attending her first session of walking football, she "was hooked".
However, after an "excited and nervous" wait to take part in the regional tournament, she has been ruled out as her knee was "playing up".
WFA North East regional manager Janette Hynes said it was the first team they had entered from the region and said she "fought" to get the women into the Super League for two years.
"The northerners will bring the cup back to the north," she said.
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