Forest Vets Walking Football Club

06/09/2026

Forest Vets Walking Football Club was proudly represented on the international stage yesterday as five of its players pulled on their national colours at the IWFF Winter Nations tournament in Birmingham.

The club's players featured for England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

Sue Stone and Cath Smith were part of the IWFF England Women's Over 50s squad that enjoyed an excellent tournament. The team swept through their group stage campaign, winning every game to book their place in the final. After a dominant run to the showpiece event, England were narrowly denied the title, suffering a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Norway in a closely contested final. Despite the loss, Sue and Cath can be immensely proud of their contribution to a superb runners-up finish.

In the Women's Over 40s competition, Forest Vets' Merryn Kelby captained the IWFF England side with distinction. Under her leadership, England secured a third-place finish, demonstrating great determination and quality throughout the tournament.

There was further success for Forest Vets in the Women's Over 50s category, with Linda Thomas representing Wales. Linda played her part in an impressive campaign that saw Wales finish third overall.

On the men's side, Gary Ball represented the Republic of Ireland in the Over 50s competition. Ireland enjoyed a fantastic tournament, progressing all the way to the final after a string of impressive displays. In a closely fought championship match, they were edged out 1-0 by Wales, securing a well-deserved runners-up position.

The achievements of these players once again highlight the strength and quality within Forest Vets Walking Football Club. To have five players representing three different nations is a tremendous accomplishment and reflects the club's growing reputation as one of the leading walking football clubs in the country.

Everyone at Forest Vets congratulates Sue, Cath, Merryn, Linda and Gary on their outstanding achievements and for representing both their countries and the club with such pride and distinction. We are incredibly proud of all of them

06/09/2026

Forest Vets Men’s Over 50s can be immensely proud after reaching the Walking Football Association National Cup Final, eventually finishing as runners-up following a 2-0 defeat to a strong Sleaford side.

Having battled through a highly competitive national competition, Forest Vets earned their place on the biggest stage in walking football. Despite a determined and committed performance in the final, Sleaford proved clinical in front of goal, scoring twice to claim the national title.

While the result did not go Forest's way, reaching a national final is a tremendous achievement and reflects the quality, dedication and spirit that exists throughout the club.

The Men’s Over 50s side's success is part of what has been an extraordinary year for Forest Vets on the national stage. The club entered four teams into the WFA National Cup competitions, with representation across the Men’s Over 50s, Women’s Over 40s, Women’s Over 50s and Women’s Over 60s categories.

In a remarkable achievement, all four Forest Vets teams progressed all the way to their respective Grand Finals, underlining the strength and depth of the club across both the men's and women's game.

The finals campaign resulted in three teams finishing as national runners-up, while one Forest Vets side achieved the ultimate success by being crowned WFA National Champions. It is a record that few clubs in the country can match and a testament to the hard work of the players, coaching staff, volunteers and supporters who continue to drive the club forward.

Although the Men’s Over 50s were unable to bring home the trophy this time, their journey to the national final will be remembered as a fantastic accomplishment and another chapter in what has been a historic season for Forest Vets.
To have all four teams reach their respective national finals is an outstanding achievement in itself, highlighting Forest Vets as one of the leading walking football clubs in the country and demonstrating the club's continued commitment to excellence, participation and success at every age group.

Congratulations to all players and staff involved in what has been a truly memorable WFA National Cup campaign. Forest Vets have once again shown that they belong among the very best in the nation.

Team: Tim Emery, Carl Steggles, Darren Heyes. Richard Jackson, Gary Ball
Vincent Duffy, Ian Parkes, Pete Bradley

03/09/2026

Good luck to our men’s over 50s in the WFA National Finals this weekend.

13/08/2026

International News 🌍🇮🇪

More international success to celebrate! A huge congratulations to Gary Ball, who has been selected for the Republic of Ireland Over-50s Men’s Walking Football Squad, and to Vince Duffy, who has been selected for the Republic of Ireland Over-60s Squad for the Masters this weekend in Wales.

Wishing you both the very best of luck — go out there, enjoy the experience and do yourselves proud!

We’re incredibly proud of you both. 👏⚽🇮🇪

12/08/2026

🏆⚽ FOREST VETS ARE THROUGH TO THE REGIONALS! ⚽🏆

What a fantastic evening for Forest Vets Men’s Over 50s! 👏

The lads have won the Notts round of the FA Walking Football Cup and are now through to the Regional Finals at Derby Racecourse in September, where they’ll join our Over 40s and Over 50s Women’s teams. What an achievement!

The squad got off to a great start, beating Santos 3–1, with Nigel Bailey scoring twice and Nigel Beer adding the third.

They then faced Nottingham Reds in a really close game, eventually securing a 1–0 victory thanks to a goal from Vincent Duffy. ⚽👏

A brilliant team effort from start to finish, and we couldn’t be prouder of you all.

Congratulations boys — you’ve done Forest Vets proud! 👏👏👏

Squad
Carl Steggles
Gary Ball
Lyndon Kennedy
Nigel Bailey
Nigel Beer
Vincent Duffy
Ian Parkes
Danny Boyes

Bring on September! 🏆⚽

10/08/2026

🌟 MORE INTERNATIONAL CALL-UPS! 🌟

The fantastic news keeps coming, and this time it’s our Over 60s Walking Football Women taking centre stage! ⚽️👏

We’re absolutely thrilled that FOUR of our players have been selected to represent the Celtic Nations in Wales this week! What an incredible achievement and a fantastic reward for all their hard work and dedication to walking football. ❤️

And there’s an extra special honour for our very own Over 60s Captain, Gill Rowley, who has been selected not only to represent her nation, but to CAPTAIN her country! 👏🏆

Gill will be joined by Jo Anderson, Diane McIntosh and Patricia Perry, who will all be proudly pulling on their international shirts and showing just what our Over 60s Walking Footballers can do! ⚽️🔥

We couldn’t be prouder of all four of you. What an amazing opportunity and a fantastic achievement for you, your teammates and our club.

Go smash it, ladies! Enjoy every minute, play with pride and show them what walking football is all about! 💪⚽️❤️

🏆 Four players. One incredible achievement. We are SO proud! 🏆

08/08/2026

A huge congratulations to one of our fantastic goalkeepers, Natalie Monaghan-Smith, on receiving her first call-up to the Republic of Ireland Women’s Over 40s Walking Football Squad! 🇮🇪⚽️
Natalie will be representing Ireland at the World Masters next week in Wales — what an incredible achievement!
From everyone at the club, we wish you the very best of luck. Go out there, enjoy every moment and make some fantastic memories.
Well done, Natalie — we’re all incredibly proud of you! 💚🇮🇪⚽️

06/08/2026