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The Republic of Ireland Walking Football Association (ROIWFA) will be completing a fundraising walk in the run-up to St. Patrick’s Day (17 March) in 2023. It is our intention to celebrate the wonderful contribution the Irish have made to Britain by commemorating the great Irish navvy, the men who contributed enormously to the building of Britain!
The Irish navvy was commonplace throughout Britain from the later 1700s onwards, predominantly employed in the building of the canal network. One of the canals the navvies built connected London with Birmingham, which was the subject of an Act of Parliament in 1793 and completed construction in 1805.
To celebrate the history of this canal, and in celebration of 50 years of the “Irish in Britain” organisation (1973-2023), we intend to walk the entire route, starting at the Irish Embassy in London and finishing on St. Patrick’s Day at the Birmingham Town Hall.
The walk will raise funds for our organisation and help us continue to bring the sport of Walking Football (and its health benefits) to older men and women in both the UK and Ireland.
This fundraising walk is planned to start from the Irish Embassy in London on Friday, 10 March 2023 and finish on St. Patrick’s Day, 17 March 2023 at Birmingham Council House (B3 3DQ) where we will be received by the Deputy Lord Mayor.
The Republic of Ireland Walking Football Association (ROIWFA) formed in April 2020. ROIWFA have a membership of approximately 90 ladies and men, all of whom are passionate about their chosen sport, Walking Football.
Over the last 2 years we have represented our country in a series of international tournaments against opposition including England, the Isle of Man, Wales, France, Italy, the Basque Country and Peru. In our most recent outing (October 2022), held in Bordeaux, we were the only team (over 50s) to beat England and managed to secure 2nd place in the tournament overall. We look forward to hosting our next international tournament at home in Dublin in July 2023.
Please help us continue to grow, to bring the significant health benefits of Walking Football to as many older men and women as possible in the UK and Ireland, and help fund us to even greater success on the international football fields!
Go raibh maith agat!