The Club now has over 120 members and new players join every month. Below are some comments from people who have started playing recently.

​

Steve first heard about the Club in a report on the BBC News when Chesterfield FC were playing Chelsea in the FA Cup. He took the plunge to contact the Club having watched his 9 year old son play football and realised how much he missed the game himself. Steve is now playing on a regular basis whilst continuing to work full time. Steve says "not being from Chesterfield or the area, it was a great chance to meet like minded people and to have more of a social life. It has brought back my love of football which has been missing for a number of years. It seems crazy that at 60 years of age I have re-started my football career! I have to say I was very nervous about joining because of the time I have spent not playing but I shouldn't have worried. Everyone was very welcoming and made the whole experience very enjoyable. I just wish I had done it years ago."

​

Ged joined the Club through his brother-in-law who is a current member and to 

assist him as he has Altzheimers. It was also a way to get back to football following a heart attack 18 months ago. Ged plays at both Hasland and Dronfield. His impressions are that Hasland is a very sociable venue with a mix of player abilities and played on more of a “fun” basis. Dronfield is a bit more competitive which is also enjoyable. He says "at both venues I have been made very welcome and quickly made new connections. Depending upon how competitive you are walking football can be an excellent aerobic workout and not just a slow activity that it can be perceived to be."

​

Stewart's brother told him about walking football when he visited a friend in Sheffield who plays the game and so he went and found details of the Club on the internet. He feels that the people he plays with at the Dronfield Akademy are a "nice bunch, very friendly and welcoming" and he would highly recommend walking football, both from a social interaction and fitness point of view.

​

David read about the Club in the Hasland Magazine and was interested as he was looking for an outdoor activity that was meaning full and had a social element. His impressions of the set up at Hasland have been "fantastic, friendly and competitive but in a enjoyable format." To those people in a similar position of wanting to get some more exercise David's advice is "don't wait, come along , every age (above 50) and ability is accepted and celebrated."

​

Jason lives in Hasland and was intrigued by the gathering of footballers on a Thursday morning at Eastwood Park. As he could do with losing some weight he decided to give walking football a go.  As he says, after two months his experience has been "absolutely fantastic, everyone has been so welcoming and I already feel part of it all." To anybody else who is trying to improve their physical and mental health he says "do it now!! It is brilliant for all ages (over 50) and all abilities, you can do as much or as little as you want, I'm so glad I made the decision to do it, I just wish I had done it a year ago"

​

Pete had a friend who already played walking football at Dronfield and was quite intrigued at the prospect of being able to continue playing football as he got older but in a slightly different way. His initial impressions have been positive of the Club and the way it is being run. The games are played in a fair but competitive spirit and for anyone who wants to start playing football again he says "give it a try, I hesitated to start with but now I really enjoy it".

​

Steve has started to become a regular player at Dronfield and has been impressed by the welcome he has received. He said " the friendship and kindness shown to me really makes it extra special.  I have been asked if I would like to join in any upcoming squads for tournaments which really made my day. I'm aware of the good players at the club so don't expect to play but thank you to all the members for allowing me to join you and I am honoured to be a part of the Club.