This week I’m going to start with the Good News, Tony Wahlhaus is a grandfather again. His daughter, Lauren, gave birth to a little girl, Sienna, last Tuesday at Whipps Cross. Sienna weighed in at a very respectable 9lb 2oz. We all wish them all the very best!!

I caught up with Tony last Thursday, under the new meet up rules, for a long walk in Epping Forest. As with us all he has put on a few pounds and can’t wait to get back to walking football.

We had a couple of new, old boys at the Zoom meet up on Friday, Graham Manicom and Peter Bradley. It was good to see them both and to know they are keeping well. There were a total of fourteen at the Zoom session so sign up to the Event if you want to see first hand how people are dealing with lock-down, social distancing and walking football withdrawal.

This week we only have two members celebrating their birthdays. Steve Crew and one of our founder members, Tony Young. Many Happy Returns chaps.

Now for a bit of fun – Tony Weston is asking all you walking footballers to join in with a video of yourselves receiving the ball from your right, doing some skills and then passing it on to your left. No hands allowed unless your a goalkeeper. For full details pop along to the Chat area of the App and look in the ‘Fun Video Participation’ Chat for full details.

Speaking of videos I have added a video of the Parringdon Pirates v Leyton Orient friendly from July 2018 to the Club’s YouTube channel. Some good passing and moving in evidence. Watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS0ijwBKiApAeLNjmp62_7Q

Now back to Covid-19 and how it effects us as walking footballers. The Essex FA have released the following guidance which is consistent with current government guidelines. The following ARE PERMITTED:

- playing football individually (e.g. practice of individual skills or fitness activities)
- playing football with your family or other people living in your household
- an individual can play football with one other person who is not from their household
- coaching an adult player one-to-one

If an individual is symptomatic, living in a household with a possible Covid-19 infection, or if you are classified as extremely vulnerable on health grounds, the guidance is that you should remain at home. The following football activity is NOT PERMITTED at this time again consistent with Government guidelines:

- two or more people from one household playing with one person or more from outside their household

The Walking Football Association (WFA) have come out with ‘Return to Play’ guidelines which may be a useful starting point for the committee to take into consideration when determining how Leyton Orient Walking FC manage a return to regular sessions. The WFA guidelines can be found at: https://mailchi.mp/59ede271a243/wfa-newsletter-issue-1522106?e=62428b5143

Well for the time being I’m going to keep myself fit by attending Ruth Tongue’s Pilates sessions on a Thursday morning. You’ll find the details in the Events section.

I must admit to having been somewhat disappointed last week as I was expecting more of a release from our current incarceration but then again:

“Life is all about setbacks. A life lived without disappointment is a life lived in a cocoon. People have recovered from far worse setbacks.”
– Tony Clark

But finally:

“Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake.” – Dean Koontz

Take care and be safe.
Trevor Ridley

© Copyright 2020 Leyton Orient Walking FC

Image used in is by Enrique Lopez Garre at Pixabay