The countdown has started towards this year's Walking Football World Cup.

And right at the heart of those preparations is Stuart Langworthy, England's over-60s manager, who is hoping to follow up on last year's success in the Euros.

Langworthy, who has done so much for Gloucester club Abbeymead Rovers over the years, is a very well-known name in football circles in and around the county and his success with Abbeymead has been mirrored by that with England's over-60s walking team.

And Langworthy, who took on the role as over-60s manager in October 2017, wants more success.

The World Cup is being held at the Etihad complex in Manchester at the end of May and the players have already had their first training session in Sheffield.

Further training sessions have already been scheduled at Derby and St George's Park with one further one planned in May ahead of the tournament on the last weekend of May.

It has been a busy few months for Langworthy who over the past few years has become a huge fan of all things walking football.

In October he took on the additional responsibility of organising trials for the first England Women’s walking football teams at over 40 and over 50.

Having run two trials and selected two squads, he selected a mixed team to travel to Guernsey to play the first ever Women’s Walking Football international with England winning 2-0

A month later he travelled with two colleagues to Malaysia and Singapore to train referees and run a coaches' training course, a course that he wrote with his son Ross who is a UEFA B licensed coach.
More than 30 people completed the referees' course and 20 completed the coaches' course.

In January he was off on his travels again, this time to Rwanda where he held more training courses for coaches and referees which saw more than 20 completing in each. He also took some old Abbeymead Rovers kit with him, kit which was received gratefully and worn immediately!

And his love of walking football – as if there was ever any doubt! – was there for all to see during a short break with his wife Judith in the Algarve because, while in Portugal, he made contact with a walking football group, met up with them and joined in with one of their regular sessions!