05-05-2025
Walking football festival a huge success
A walking football festival has raised more than £700 for charity.
Haverfordwest County AFC and PATH Charity hosted the event on Sunday, April 27, at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium.
The festival featured 16 teams competing in four categories, promoting the health benefits of walking football, especially for those over 40.
The festival raised £640 for SNAP Pembrokeshire's specialist play services, with a charity raffle contributing an additional £130 to PATH.
The event saw participation from staff and volunteers from PATH, SNAP Pembrokeshire, Councillor David Bryan, and Matthew Freeman, manager of PCC Sport Pembrokeshire.
Representative teams from various areas, including Milford, New Hedges Saundersfoot, and Neath, showcased their skills across three pitches.
The matches were officiated by Arthur Hughes, Brendan McGrail, and Helmut Reinhart.
The festival also celebrated the success of the PATH numeracy project, funded through the Social Prosperity Fund, highlighting the importance of community-driven programmes in fostering education and engagement.
Learners who benefitted from the project offered their support during the event, alongside staff who led the project.
Members of Haverfordwest High Sixth Form, who attended the numeracy classes as part of their work experience, also supported the event.
The festival underscored the unifying power of sport, as noted by Paul Williams, chairperson of the Haverfordwest County Walking Football Group.
He said: "We see walking football as a brilliant form for our health and wellbeing every week, alongside being able to socialise with like-minded football lovers."
Event organiser Dean Flood remarked: "This festival has been a shining example of how learning, well-being, community cohesion, and human connection can thrive when people unite with a shared purpose."
The results in each category were: Ladies over-40s, winners Haverfordwest County AFC; Mixed over-50s, winners Haverfordwest County AFC; Mixed over-60s, winners Celtic Nations; Mixed over-70s, winners Celtic Nations.
Haverfordwest County Community Manager Harry Thomas and Commercial Manager Alaric Jones expressed their delight in working with PATH to host the event.
They said: "After a highly successful season for the club in the Welsh Premier League, it has been wonderful to add the walking football element as it is part of our commitment to being a true community club."
Haverfordwest County AFC Walking Football trains every week at the Ogi Bridge Meadow on Tuesdays from 10.30am to 11.30am and Wednesdays from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.
New and returning members are welcome, with training open to women aged 35 and over, and men aged 45 and over.
