Once again the Brighton Dolphins dominate another exciting Walking football league as they retain their league winning crown, being named champions for a 4th successive time.
Over the last two months teams from all across Sussex have competed in the Spring Walking Football league competition at Worthing Leisure Centre. Following an interesting campaign, Brighton Dolphins were proudly named the champions for the fourth time, meaning they get to keep the trophy having dominated throughout.
Competition co-ordinator, Jason Hughes, commented: “It was a very tight competition this time around, with only a point separating the top 2 at the halfway point. It really was all to play for in the second half of the campaign, which made for an exciting final set of games. The Dolphins proved just too strong in the last phase of the season and went on to take the title for the 4thconsecutive time.”
The sport is growing in popularity at a huge rate and the walking version of the game, as the name suggests, is slower-paced and suited to those who may have reduced mobility. With more teams involved, the level of skill is getting higher and the competition is getting stronger.
To ensure the competition remains fair, South Downs Leisure are implementing a change to the tournament formats, bringing in Cup and Plate tournaments, much like the Champions League and Europa League – based on performances in the league tournaments, will decide which trophy teams going on to play for next.
Jason went on to say: “With the dominance that the Dolphins have shown over this last year, we needed to have a think about how we hosted so that the competition stays fresh and everyone feels like they have a chance to win a title. Therefore, the inception of the cup and plate tournaments should bring that back for everyone as each team stands a great chance of winning their respective competition.”
Walking football is changing people’s lives and giving people of a certain age or ability their ‘Beautiful Game’ back. It’s not too late to get involved, as you can still enter teams for the next tournament on 7th November, whilst the first round of the next league season starts on 5th June.
If you would like to know more about the game or future competitions, then visit: www.southdownsleisure.co.uk, drop in to Worthing Leisure Centre, or call 01903 905050 (option 2), where you can also register teams or book yourself a 3G pitch.