Benalmadena Ladies Walking Football Club Unveil New Strip
Benalmadena Ladies Walking Football Club was formed in November 2020, by Cath John. She was asked to form a ladies’ team to join an established men’s team for a charity match to raise money for a close friend with Motor Neurone Disease. The charity match was such a success that the club was officially formed a few months later.
They now have 25 players and 15 social members and welcome new players to join their growing club. There’s no need to have played before and everyone is welcome. Some of their highlights have been winning the Competa Tournament last May and players representing Spain Ladies Walking football in the international tournaments in Morocco and in France this year.
They are sponsored by Specsavers Ópticas in Fuengirola, who has been sponsoring them since October 2023. The store came on board as they have two employees in the team, and they love to support developing sports in the local community. The club unveiled a new kit earlier this year and are looking forward to their tour to Portugal in May and hosting a tournament in Benalmadena in November 2024.
Cath John explains how the game works, “walking football is different to regular football in that you can’t run, and you can only have three touches before you pass. This makes it much more skilful than you realise, with the weight and accuracy of the pass being very important.
I am very proud of our club. We are a group of women who are here to support each other, even though we have very different backgrounds and personalities, and we give back to the community through raising money for the children’s cancer charity AVOI. Thanks to our sponsors Specsavers Ópticas Fuengirola for their support and we look forward to welcoming any new ladies who would like to come and give walking football a try this year.”
Team member Emma Thorne Lees adds, “I am proud of my team as we are such a mixed and unique bunch of individuals. Everyone is welcome and accepted as part of the group. We all love to play, but also don’t take ourselves too seriously and have good fun in the process!”
If you would like to find out more about playing for the Benalmadena Ladies Walking Football Club, email them or call 617 612 361. Find out more about Specsavers Ópticas at www.specsavers.es