Braehead FC and the social connections which have been 'life changing'

Braehead Women's over 50s recently became the first Scottish team to win the Women's Walking Football Glasgow Trophy. Coach Callum Brown spoke to us about how Braehead FC began and it's phenomenal success both on and off the pitch.

Braehead O50s - first Scottish team to win the womens walking football Glasgow trophy

When the group came together we had 16 women, we were battling with faulty floodlights and the Scottish winters but now we're getting nearly 30 players per session. We've won the Scottish cup Over 40s three times and the over 50s twice. We have successively won the league and now have four over 40s teams and 2 over 50s. We are growing massively and still have new players coming through.

Women's walking football is growing massively in Scotland although we don't have a lot of teams in northern Scotland, everything competitive is based in Glasgow as there are plenty of venues and facilities.

Walking Football Scotland run everything, Scotland doesn't as yet have an official national team but we came up with a Scottish Thistle team; a select team put together to compete in various competitions, we went to Sweden last year to play in the World Cup. We have also helped set up other clubs, some of our players went to Stenhousemuir to help them set up training sessions until enough players had been recruited.

There is a real community spirit

The women in the club have formed such good social connections, lots of them holiday together in their camper vans. They are an age group going through the menopause, some have lost parents, siblings and partners...there is a real community supportive spirit which is excellent. Two players who met through Braehead are engaged! We've won a lot, but its the social connections which have been life changing for people.

We are a great group, we always check in with each other and the players support each other

We always make sure we have a meal together after a tournament. In the summer we open up the community centre after training for teas and coffees; it brings players together and gives everyone a lift. It's good for our emotional and mental health especially those have been struggling or suffering with their health.

Going forward, we want to keep doing what we are doing. The standard of football is getting better all the time; we want to keep achieving.

We want to continue to offer the opportunity for women to have new experiences such as international tournaments. A lot of the women have been mothers and have come second to their children, their life is just starting now and for some football has been that catalyst for change; for some its ended social isolation.

Not surprisingly the big barrier for development is finance. It's hard to get pitches and there is a lot of travel for tournaments and internationals. Sometimes tournaments form the family holiday and people will travel to play football and tag in the family holiday. In the winter our training bill was expensive, league fees are expensive, it's a lot of money. Luckily we have decent sponsorship and we do try to keep the costs down.

We want the club to keep growing and be one big community. We want to open the walking football to those experiencing disadvantage; walking football is one big community.

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