Walking Hockey goes from strength to strength in Portsmouth

This time last year the club offered a Walking Hockey session as part of their #HockeyFest and have recruited over 80 players to the group since - 20 of whom had never played before.

Former Lord Mayor Of Portsmouth Lee Mason was a big advocate for Walking Hockey.

‘It’s great to see generations of families who are able to play with each other.’ he said. ‘You would not have that mix of age, ability or experiences in other spheres.’

After the initial response, Portsmouth head coach Alf Wimshurst began fortnightly Walking Hockey sessions. They proved so popular that from January weekly sessions were launched.

‘It’s been great for families,’ Wimshurst explained. ‘We’ve found parents of kids who are at the club already have picked up a stick and know how their kid feels.

‘It’s fantastic to watch the family enthusiasm grow. It creates a great atmosphere.’

Peter Russel hung up his stick 18 years ago after being the Junior Chair and his children moving on. But friends persuaded him that Walking Hockey was a way to get himself involved again.

‘There are lots of people of different ages with different skills,’ he said.

‘It’s only an hour long, but it’s a great form of exercise as I walked two miles in one session.’

City of Portsmouth’s first league game of the season this weekend sees them travel to Camberley and Farnborough in Hampshire and Surrey Regional Division 2.

The women’s 1sts are at Andover in the Hampshire Women’s Premier Division.