00:04I'm Steve, Steve Marriott, 26th of the 12th, 1940, 82 years old and still trying to play football.
00:15I was an East End kid in Hackney and of course we played in the street and that's where we
00:22learnt our football and without realising the interpersonal skills with others and from
00:30there I played like most people played for the school football team which then led to
00:35a district, playing for the district and then I played for various areas like Leighton and
00:42Leighton Stone and then later on I was very fortunate to be chosen for a few trials for
00:50different sides but it wasn't my particular aim to be a footballer. I was
00:57quite happy just to drift on in life and play football as much as I could. I've been
01:03diagnosed with cancer in 2018, I then had moved to Bristol at Portishead and what
01:11with Covid then coming in I was completely lost and I think mentally, I don't like to
01:17say it and mentally I was struggling and physically also and this has been a
01:24this has been a right lifesaver Tommy, it really has. What has impressed me most of
01:28all with the walking football is the actual organisation behind it. They're
01:33gradually getting a bit more funding but been very difficult for them you know
01:37lots have been paying out of our own pockets and and at this club here we we
01:43have people of all abilities, what can you say all ages and sizes mixed abilities, we've
01:50got some couple really wonderful ladies footballers, now the lionesses have taken
01:55off so it's really been really been wonderful for me to be associated with
02:00such a good club. First of all I played in a couple tournaments for Cleveland the
02:05Seasiders and from that John Walter recommended me for to go for a trial for
02:13the regional side which is run by Danny Ward and I was successful there and from
02:20the regional side which Danny Ward ran I was then offered a trial with the
02:25England B squad which again was run by Danny so I was very fortunate I had a
02:30successful time there and that led to me actually winning an international cup
02:37through the Anglo Welsh which was absolutely what it was really strange it
02:42was it was surreal you know I was 81 at the time and 81 and I was a bit
02:49shell-shocked I think that my family was more proud than I was I could I felt a bit
02:54you know a bit silly from the old generation where you don't make a fuss about
02:58anything it's been an extension of my life might sound a bit dramatic but it
03:02does give me an extension
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