Stuart Langworthy is jumping for joy after being named England walking football manager for the over-60s.

The man behind Abbeymead Rovers Football Club was given the news yesterday afternoon and can’t wait to get started in his new role.

“I’m absolutely thrilled, it’s the pinnacle for me,” he said. “I’ve been involved in voluntary football for more than 40 years so this is very special.”

Langworthy’s new England position is very much voluntary and is reward for all the hard work he has put in in establishing a walking football team at Abbeymead.

“This is our third season of walking football at the club and over the last two years I’ve seen how powerful walking football can be,” the 56-year-old said of the sport that is open to anyone aged 50 and over. “It gives people a new lease of life, it’s certainly given me a new lease of life.

“I’ve seen how much it changes people’s lives and to be involved at the next level is such an honour, an absolute honour.”

Langworthy, a decent footballer at local level back in the day, is a walking footballer himself and has done much to make Abbeymead one of the strongest teams in the country, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester City, Leeds United and Birmingham City.

“I think my appointment is recognition for what we’ve been doing at Abbyemead,” said Langworthy. “It’s wonderful to be recognised and for our club to have an England manager is just brilliant.”

And while Langworthy is obviously chuffed to bits to land the new role, he realises there’s a much bigger picture for the sport as it continues to grow in popularity.

“It’s really exciting to be at the start of something that can be huge,” he enthused. “This country invented football and now we’ve invented walking football.

“It’s an opportunity to develop the game internationally. In Spain they play three-touch and in Holland they play without goalkeepers so there are different rules all over the world.

“The plan is to have an over-50s and over-60s walking football World Cup in this country in 2020 so that would do wonders for the sport.”

Before that, England will host a walking football European Championship in 2019 so Langworthy won’t get much chance to get used to his new surroundings before the hard work begins.

He doesn’t yet know where he will be based but you get the impression he’d be happy to work on the moon if it meant he could get his walking football message across.

“We must never lose sight of the fact that the most important thing about walking football is that it has turned people’s lives around both physically and mentally,” he said. “Whatever teams we put out we are ambassadors for the sport.

“We want people to play the game the right way while encouraging older people to do something that is fit and healthy.”

And while that is obviously a very important message, it’s always easier to get any message across if you’re part of a winning team of course.

“My interview with the walking football association lasted two-and-a-half hours,” Langworthy said. “One of the questions I got asked was whether I’d resign if we lost on penalties in a World Cup semi-final.”

And his reply?

“Absolutely not,” he laughed. “Compared with most England teams that would be considered a big success!

“I can’t wait to get stuck in, it’s so exciting.”

And just as excited are his “football-mad” wife Judith and his two sons Ross and Ben.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without their support,” said Langworthy. “Judith has been absolutely brilliant and she’s told me that now I’ve got this new job she’s quite happy to be referred to as a WAG!”