Keeping Connected - Week Twenty

4 Aug 2020 by Trevor Ridley

As has been mentioned in previous ‘Keeping Connected’ newsletters the Club has been keen to get back to our traditional training session days. To this end the Club has switched from running two sessions on a Wednesday to running a single session on a Thursday and a single over 60s session on a Friday, both being from 11:00 to 12:00. The workers session will stay on a Saturday morning while the women’s session will continue on a Thursday evening probably until the Score re-opens.

For the month of August ALL sessions will continue to be at Ashton Playing Fields with whom we have built up a good relationship at affordable cost. The Club had planned to move to Douglas Eyre but found that the cost was prohibitive. Even if we had increased the session cost to £6 per player the Club would have incurred a considerable loss.

To cater for the women’s Thursday evening sessions after August the Club is hopeful that the Score will re-open at some point. Hopefully the FA guidance on playing indoor football will be released soon. If the Score does not re-open the challenge will be running outdoor sessions when the light starts to go in September so suggestions for potential alternatives are welcome.

The Tuesday evening session/workers session will continue at Ashton Playing Fields on Saturdays. The Club have been looking for an outdoor floodlit venue for a long term booking on a Tuesday but without success. If no alternative venue is found we will move back to the Score when it re-opens.

Given the current restricted form of walking football we are expecting players to play the Club would like all training games to be refereed. If you are able to referee on either a Thursday, Friday or Saturday please let Len Cheston or Trevor Ridley know your availability. If there is space and enough volunteers then it may be possible to take turns between playing and refereeing.

As many of you will know our neighbours at Ashton Playing Fields, Woodford Town FC, train and play their matches there. Woodford Town are looking to start walking football sessions at Ashton’s in August. To help get the sessions started the Club will be publicising their sessions. Please feel free to attend. Details will be published once the Club knows them.

Yet another fixture casualty of the pandemic has been the proposed Belgium trip. Our friends at KVVE Massemen have been in touch and given the current state of the virus in Belgium they have cancelled their tournament. Leyton Orient Walking FC will be invited to their tournament next year and KVVE have sent their best wishes to the Club.

The Club have heard that John Hockley will not be joining us in training this week as he has ended up in hospital in Colchester due to a low heart beat. He was hopeful that they were addressing the problem and he would be released (Monday 3rd August). We all wish him the very best for a quick and full recovery.

This week there are four birthdays: Derek Myers, Mick Crane, Mark Brennan and the aforementioned John Hockley. Wishing you all a Very Happy Birthday.

This week’s quiz Maestros were the Conligans and after some excellent questions it was very close right up to the end. The final result was: 1st Trevor Ridley (40 pts) 2nd Anne and Tony Weston (39 pts) and 3rd Phil Stevenson (38pts) and 3rd Caroline and John Bancroft (38pts). Thanks go to Sue and Chris Conligan for some brain taxing quizzing.

Pilates with Ruth Tongue is moving to a Monday from 10th August. See the separate News article for details.

Sport England are currently conducting a survey about participation in sport during the pandemic. Members may wish to complete the survey to give a walking football perspective. Go to https://surveys.mycustomerlens.com/p/5ef9d8f8c104ea862a98beb0/5efb26a5c104ea0a3598bef8

For those who having been feeling the aches and pains after the recent training sessions:

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain

And remember:

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

See you at training.
Trevor Ridley
PS If you have any news you want to share then please email me at leytonorientwalkingfc@gmail.com

© Copyright 2020 Leyton Orient Walking FC

Image used © Trevor Ridley

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