Walking football club celebrate one year anniversary with awards night
A GROUP of walking footballers from Easter Ross celebrated their one year anniversary with a special awards night this week.
St Duthus walking football club first started training and playing in November last year, with a mixture of ages getting to grips with the increasingly popular sport.
They officially formed as a club in April.
Now very much up and running (although no running is allowed!), the club has continued to hold sessions all year round in Tain and has attracted participants from Golspie all the way down to Evanton and nearby villages.
In June, they took part in their first walking football festival in Inverness, competing against other walking football teams from all over the North of Scotland.
To celebrate the milestone of their first full year, members gathered for an awards night at sponsors, the Royal Hotel, in Tain on Saturday, November 26.
Awards were handed out by club chairman Patrick Vickery, with titles such as “Tain Ballon d’Or”, Most Improved Player and Golden Boot up for grabs. The event also featured a number of novelty classics, such as ‘The Dazzler’ and ‘Snappy Dresser’.
An award was also presented to Emma Foster for the first goal to be scored by a woman within the group.
Club representative Mike Sutherland said: “We have had a very successful year with over 20 regular members of ages ranging from 14 to 80. A big highlight for us was taking part and performing well in the Inverness walking football festival.
“We are always on the lookout for new members. We meet at TRACC Monday and Thursday at 6pm, and the first session is free. Everyone is welcome to come along – it’s great fun, with a real focus on improving health and wellbeing.”
The club awards were presented to winners as follows:
Tain Ballon d’Or (allez, allez, allez) – Samir Atmane
Golden Boot (goal tally like a cricket score) – Finlay
Most Versatile (best goalkeeper and striker combined) – Adrian Munro
Most visible (you see him here, you see him there, you see him everywhere) – Allan Whiteford
One to Watch (handy with a camera!) – Andrew
The one with the craic (good banter) – Brian MacAngus
Rambo (when he falls, he rises again) – David Mack
Most Improved Player (and best woolly hat) – Euan Mushet
Dancing feet (if he was a car, he would be a Ferrari) – Harry Hobbs
Most Promising Newcomer (skilful footwork) – ‘H’ (aka: Henry) Hobbs
Golden Booter (puts it wide left, puts it wide right, puts it over the bar and sometimes nets a great ‘sausage roll’) – Richie Hobbs
Saving the world (a world saver) – Jeff
Fergie Award (the man with the balls, the picker of teams, the nuts and bolts of the squad, our own Alex Ferguson) – Kenny MacKenzie
The Dazzler (bobby dazzler skills, titanic dribbling, a man who slices through the opposition like a sledgehammer through butter) – Mike Sutherland
The golden Goal (scorer of the first goal in the first game on November 18, 2021) – Richard Bousefield
Best Potential (He gets the job done - ‘nae bad’) – Rob
The Smiley Award (always cheerful on the pitch) – David Robertson
Master of the Assist (puts in an outstanding shift) – William MacKenzie
Golden Gloves (ducking and diving, weaving and achieving, with a few cracking assists and goals as well) – Grahame
Snappy Dresser (skilful control) – Richard Gilmour
Nifty Footwork (the best manicured nails - or so he says) – Reg
The Determined and Tenacious (if football was a piano, his music would be tuneful) – Michael
One to watch for the future – Basile
