Cotswold Casuals became the first winners of the Oxfordshire FA Walking Football Cup on Sunday 28 April, as teams from across the county battled it out in the inaugural competition.

Taking place at The Oxford Academy and supported by GLL, whilst being sponsored by Age UK Oxfordshire, the one-day competition saw teams play each other once in a group stage to be in with a chance of competing in the semi-finals.

Following a tight opening round, Cherwell Strollers, Bicester Fossils, Oxford United A and the Casuals qualified for the final four stage, with Cotswold Casuals and Cherwell Strollers emerging as the two teams that would battle it out in the final.

In a closely-fought final, the Casuals overcame the experienced Cherwell Strollers 1-0 to claim the first-ever Walking Football Cup title, in what was in fact the team’s first competitive contest. Along the way to lifting the trophy, Cotswold Casuals recorded four wins, a draw and two defeats.

Michael Thurlow, Football Development Manager at Oxfordshire FA, was delighted with how the first Walking Football Cup competition was played out.

“It was fantastic to see so many individuals involved in the first Oxfordshire FA Walking Football Cup,” he said. “We hope this is the start of a great competition for years to come. Congratulations to Cotswold Casuals and a special thank you to all of the teams involved.”

The Walking Football Cup followed on from the success and increased turn-out at the Oxfordshire Walking Football Festivals, which took place throughout 2018 and were delivered in partnership with Better Leisure.

The next festival is set to take place on Sunday 23 June 2019.

For more information, please contact Michael Thurlow via development@oxfordshirefa.com