Contract Signing At World Nations WF

About Us

Team Spain – Our History

At some point in early 2020, I received an email from Paul Carr at the FIWFA asking me what the status of Walking Football was in Spain and the Costa Del Sol region in particular. I informed him that there was a structured league in place and that Martin Teague, Ronnie Waugh and Steve Lynton, amongst others, had been instrumental in its launch, sustainability and had overseen its growth from inception at some point in 2015. What he then asked me took me by surprise, ‘Could you enter a team to represent Spain in the next World Cup Of Nations ‘!

Unfortunately, further correspondence coincided with the outbreak of COVID-19 and it wasn’t until February 2023 that I heard back from the FIWFA where we could have a meaningful conversation about an International event that both of us could be sure would take place. Fortunately, during this international footballing hiatus, many things had changed in Spain and now the game was being played by Spaniards and Spanish Walking Football clubs, it was no longer solely the preserve of the expatriate community.

The emergence and participation of good quality Spanish players now presented an opportunity to compete on the International stage in a global event and so in August 2023 a side representing Team Spain for the first time took to the pitch at St George’s Park, England, in the Men’s +50 category at the World Nations Cup.

Some brilliant displays against far more experienced opposition saw Team Spain reach the semi-finals where we lost to eventual winners England 1-0. A further defeat on penalties in the 3/4th place playoff against Italy gave the side an unexpected official seeding of 4th in the World and was just reward for a squad managed by Mark Kavanagh and captained by José Francisco. Team Spain even managed to pick up an individual award through fine goalkeeping by Andrés Vallejo who won the tournament golden gloves trophy. Unfortunately, this age group has not played much in 2024 as opportunities have not presented themselves, although many have been playing regularly for their club sides. One tournament they did enter, however was in Saint Nazaire back in July but there were few faces from the side that competed so strongly the previous summer. The new players competed strongly but struggled a little on day two, but will be thankful for the experience and now know the level that they need to aspire to in the future.

In keeping with the rapid global rise in popularity and participation levels within the game Team Spain flourished and expanded in 2024 where not one but two Ladies teams were added at +40 & +50 age groups . Tournaments were played in Morocco, France and Thailand and on each occasion the players exceeded expectations against vastly more experienced opponents and finished in a higher placing each time. A first win in an International tournament vs Rep Of Ireland and then back to back wins against Malaysia in Thailand were the highlights of a great year for this group of players. In addition to our trips on the road were matches against Wales & England where we hosted stellar opposition at Finca Naundrup ,our home on the Costa Del Sol. Once again we held our own with two draws at +50 against England and although games against Wales & England in the older age groups failed to produce a win, they were invaluable learning opportunities for our inexperienced squads.

A second side was added to the Men’s section at +60 and they have had a busy time since the inception of the squad back in July with an inaugural International tournament in France where they acquitted themselves well with a strong start against good sides before a lack of numbers and injuries saw them fall away from the top places on day two. Further events on the Costa Del Sol were hosted in this age group and matches were played against England +65 and Gibraltar +60. The squad enjoyed a mixed bag of results but were very competitive throughout which was encouraging. A further event saw the team comprehensively beaten by the best team in the World, England, before turning the tables on another team just formed at this age group, Argentina, enjoying a resounding 4-0 victory. There is a high expectancy from this group this year as we are recruiting strongly and have a number of players making themselves available through reaching a certain age!!

2025 will be a massive year for Team Spain when we will be travelling on ‘road shows’ throughout the Country looking to play local sides in trial games for the national squads and to promote the game and encourage higher participation levels in all age groups amongst men & ladies. We will visit Barcelona, Vigo, Canary Islands and Madrid all before the summer in our build up towards hosting the FIWFA World Nations in October 2025 in Torrevieja. The ladies will also support International Ladies Day in Morocco in April but this time we are taking two teams with us.

Who would have thought that an email received in 2020 requesting us to consider bringing a team to the World Nations would have led to us hosting the tournament in 2025, a tournament that has received 45 applications from different Countries with over 120 teams at different age categories both men and ladies – incredible!!

A heartfelt thanks to all those players, managers, coaches and staff that have made such a positive contribution to Team Spain up to this point on and off the pitch. A special thanks to the ‘inner sanctum’ Co Director Mark Kavanagh, key members Robbie Burns, Gary Stevens and Sue Wilkins who’s contribution has been immense.

Team Spain – Mission Statement

Those fortunate enough to be selected for one of the Team Spain sides for international events represent only a small fraction of the people that we look to help to benefit from participating in Walking Football in Spain.

We are committed to delivering coaching sessions for players ,facilitating club tournaments and hosting courses for referees at local level or at international level through our association and membership of the World governing body for Walking Football at the FIWFA.

We believe that every sport in every Country needs to flourish at grassroots and community levels and have a positive social impact that ensures that participation levels are at a point from which a successful international team can emerge. The bottom line is that without informal ,social games and local leagues being played then there would be no Team Spain.

Our website includes pages to help players find local clubs to play for with contact details and other information. We hope that it is also useful for teams from overseas looking for contacts to arrange club tours and to take in some of Spain’s gastronomic pearls and vibrant social scene. We include medical case studies outlining the social, mental and physical benefits of playing the game including sound bites from leading medical professionals, cardiologists, doctors, physiotherapists and nutritionists inc links to their websites and fast track referrals.

We have pages with coaching sessions to help clubs with ideas for training nights and we facilitate coaching education through quarterly coaching workshops held in different parts of the Country which are free of charge. Currently we have contacts and a scouting network that covers most of the Country inc the Canary Islands for Team Spain but we are interested in hearing from anybody that has players looking to play for one of our representative teams. We are particularly interested in Spanish born players for all age groups and we want to expand on our current numbers. Many of our key personnel are fluent in Spanish and we want to encourage Spanish born players to join us – we are not an organisation solely for expatriates.

This wonderful footballing format was founded by John Croot in 2011, we have a lot to thank him for, not only the opportunity to play well into our 70s but to travel and take in new experiences through international competition and to forge new friendships, alliances and collaborations. The Walking Football World is your oyster and we welcome you all aboard for the experience.

Spain Committee

Mark Kavanagh, and Mark Coleman, both aged 58, have been playing and coaching Walking Football and have now won the bid to host the games for more than 60 countries around the world. The pair have coached at semi-professional and professional level with Youth teams and academy protessional level in the UK. The World Cup of Nations event is held every two years, the first one being held in the UK at St George’s Park in Burton on Trent last year. Next year ‘Team Spain’ will enter teams in the over 50s and 60’s and women over 40. The age groups include 50’s, 60’s and 70’s for men and 40’s, 50’s and 60’s for women. Organiser and campaigner Mark Kavanagh says: *This is a dream come true we cannot believe we are bringing the World Cup of Nations and more than 35 countries to Torrevieja here on the Costa Blanca. We simply love the game and wanted to bring the sport to as many people as possible this puts us firmly on the map.

As well as coaching Team Spain – which includes both Spanish and British players – Kavanagh and Coleman will be creating a team to organise the event which will bring thousands of people into the area at the end of holiday season, worth millions of euros to the local economy. Many aspects of the tournament are still available for sponsorship anyone interested should contact us here 

Mark Coleman

Born in Kensington, London, many years ago, Mark has had a lifelong love affair with football. One of his earliest photos shows him sitting on his father’s lap, watching the 1966 World Cup Final.

Mark couldn’t be described as a keen scholar but was usually one of the first to arrive at the school gates each morning to play a quick game of ‘three and in’ before the registration bell. Once in class, most mornings were spent daydreaming about lunchtime, when two hastily selected teams would compete in a chaotic 15-a-side football match.

These are his earliest memories of Vineyard Junior School.

After a brief period living in Portugal and the Lake District, thanks to his father’s job as a commercial artist, the family returned to London, where Mark continued to tolerate school and nurture his love for football.

On leaving school, Mark enrolled in the government’s YTS training scheme, where he honed his skills in carpet and floor fitting. It became a trade he pursued for the rest of his working life, building businesses and completing commercial contracts for prestigious projects such as Wembley Stadium, Claridge’s Hotel, the V&A Museum, and even some Royal Palaces. His work with the Royal Household earned his company the Royal Coat of Arms as a long-term supplier of goods and services.

Football, however, was always his passion. Most of his spare moments were devoted to the sport—whether playing, watching, or coaching. Wimbledon became his team of choice, although his early years were spent following various London clubs, especially West Ham and his first footballing idol, Trevor Brooking. He often attended matches featuring big-name clubs visiting London.

Playing football, however, was Mark’s true joy. It wasn’t unusual for him to play four matches a week—for his school, a Saturday team, and two Sunday matches. His senior debut came at 17 in the West Fulham League, a rough and competitive environment where challenges from grown men left their mark. Mark thrived in this tough league, playing for Mortlake, a club that produced many players who went on to professional or semi-professional careers.

Sunday senior football was a steep learning curve for a teenager, but Mark embraced the challenge. He played both Saturday and Sunday football for 18 years, reaching semi-professional status with clubs such as Hampton & Richmond. Eventually, coaching drew him in a new direction. In 1999, Mark earned his first FA Coaching Badge, followed by a UEFA B License in 2002. He worked with Wimbledon as a community coach and later at QPR in an academy role.

Further coaching roles in non-league football and the U18 Ryman Youth League provided some of the most rewarding moments of his career. However, in 2018, he hung up his tracksuit and whistle for good, concluding his coaching career.

Mark continued to play and found his most enjoyable years at the Civil Service Football Club, which he joined in 2000 at age 35. Reflecting on his time there, he says:

“I joined the Civil Service Football Club in August 2000. At 35, my legs were going, and the engine had plenty of miles on the clock. I knew the first team played at a reasonable level and wanted to break into that side. Unfortunately, I’d just returned from two weeks in California, carrying a bit of timber! It wasn’t until November that I got my chance. Thankfully, I stayed in the team, and we got promoted and reached the AFA semi-finals.

I had no idea how things would turn out at this famous club, a founder member of the Football League in 1863, which once played and beat Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao during its early tours. If you’d told me back then I’d play over 400 games, manage the first team, and go on 17 club tours, I’d have thought you were mad. To coach, manage, and play for this historic club, and to be part of the FA’s 150th-year celebrations at Buckingham Palace, has been an absolute privilege.”

In 2018, a relocation to Spain marked the start of a new chapter. It gave Mark the chance to put on his boots again—this time in a completely different footballing format he hadn’t encountered before.

Mark Kavanagh

A bit about Mark Kavanagh

Playing career
School boy forms Port Vale up to under 16. England u18 school boy last 64, then signed for Walsall. Apprenticeship Walsall football club 2 years with 1 year pro deal. Knee injury led to being released. Non contract with Bristol Rovers 2 years understudy to Nigel Martin.

Non-league
Stafford Rangers conference, Gornal Athletic west mids premier, Stroud Town conference south Frome Town hellenic league, DRG Gloucestershire county.

Management/coaching
Dudley Town, Willenhall Town GK Coach, Stafford Rangers GK Coach, Burton Albion GK Academy coach U9 to U16. U16 age group lead coach. U18 youth team GK coach. Scout west Midlands.
Nottingham Forest Academy GK coach, U16 lead GK coach.
Mansfield Town full time GK academy coach and Youth team GK coach. Assistant coach Mansfield Town development squad coach.

Qualifications
UEFA B, UEFA A part 1, Child protection, First aid in sport, UEFA Youth development part 1 and 2 UEFA B GK coach, UEFA A part 1 GK coach, UEFA Scout level 2.

Meet our Ambassador

Ray Lewington

I have known Mark Coleman for many years through his involvement in coaching football locally at various semi professional clubs. I am a supporter of facilitating football for everyone in the community, irrespective of their ability and have taken a keen interest in this relatively new footballing format for those playing from the older generation.

I wish everyone participating in the FIWFA World Nations Cup 2025 the very best of luck and encourage those that haven’t tried Walking Football to engage with the sport and find a club local to them.

All about Ray:
Born in London, he started his playing career in the city at Chelsea. He went on to play for Vancouver Whitecaps, Wimbledon, Sheffield United, and had two spells at Fulham, for whom he made 234 Football League appearances. In his second spell at Fulham Lewington was player-manager.

Following the end of his time as a player he has spent most of the rest of his career as a coach or assistant manager, with spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham, as well as the England national football team. Outside of positions acting as caretaker, he has also been first team manager at Brentford and Watford.

Playing career
Lewington started his career at Chelsea in the 1970s, and played a season at Vancouver Whitecaps in 1979 where he was part of the Whitecaps’ championship squad that won the NASL Soccer Bowl ’79, before a loan spell at Wimbledon. In 1980, he transferred to Fulham, and he was to go on and make over 170 League appearances for them before a season at Sheffield United in 1985–86. After that season he returned to Fulham and went on to play another 60 league matches for them.

Managerial career
Lewington became player-manager of Fulham after they were relegated to the Football League Third Division in July 1986. Lewington, still only 29, was the youngest manager in the Football League at the time. Fulham’s budget was tight and they could only manage an 18th-place finish in Lewington’s first season as manager. Off the field, the club was unstable after two takeovers in quick succession and the suggestion of a merger with their West London rivals Queens Park Rangers. The next two seasons showed no sign of an up-turn in fortune, but in 1989, Lewington guided the club to the play-offs, although they were unsuccessful in achieving promotion. The following season saw the club struggle against relegation once more. At the end of that season, Alan Dicks was brought in, with Lewington becoming his assistant. Lewington had spells as caretaker manager at Fulham in 1991 and 1994, before joining Crystal Palace as a coach, becoming assistant to Alan Smith as Palace were relegated from the Premiership. Brentford were taken over by former Palace owner Ron Noades in 1998, Brentford’s “chairman-manager” brought in Lewington as a coach. After Noades relinquished his team-selection duties in 2000, Lewington was appointed as manager of Brentford, taking them to a losing appearance in the Football League Trophy final in 2001 and guiding them to 14th in Division Two. He left at the end of the 2000–01 season to become Gianluca Vialli’s reserve team manager at Watford: a difficult role, as Vialli never let any first-team players play for the reserve side.

When Vialli was sacked in the summer 2002, Lewington was appointed manager during a period when the club had an extremely limited budget after the collapse of ITV Digital and the high-spending of the Vialli era, which had failed to result in promotion to the Premier League. Despite this, Lewington guided the club to two middle table finishes and two cup semi-finals—a 2–1 loss to Southampton in the FA Cup in 2003 and a 2–0 loss (over two legs) to Liverpool in the League Cup two seasons later. Just two months after the Liverpool game, Lewington was sacked, after a poor run of league form.

In July 2005, Lewington returned to Fulham after ten years away, as reserve team manager, under manager Chris Coleman. By this time, Fulham were an established Premier League club with healthy finances. In December 2007, Lewington served a brief stint as caretaker manager after the departure of Lawrie Sanchez, managing the team for three games until Roy Hodgson was appointed full-time. He remained at Craven Cottage as part of the management team as assistant manager. He was replaced as assistant manager by Mark Bowen when Mark Hughes became manager and became the first team coach.

On 17 October 2010, it was announced on the Fulham website that Lewington had been given the job of leading the club’s youth development programme and that taking his position as first team coach would be Glyn Hodges.

Mark Hughes resigned after the end of the 2010–11 season and his successor Martin Jol reinstated Lewington as first team coach in June 2011, alongside Jol’s assistants Michael Lindeman and Cornelius Jol. Jol said: “We started off with him because he’s probably a main figure here, at this club, he knows everything.” On 4 May 2012, it was confirmed that Lewington would become England assistant manager alongside Roy Hodgson, who had just accepted the FA’s offer to manage the England team, having previously managed West Bromwich Albion. On 27 June 2016 he resigned as part of the England coaching staff after the defeat to Iceland in Euro 2016.

On 12 September 2017, following the appointment of Hodgson as manager of Crystal Palace, it was announced that Lewington would once again return to the club as assistant manager. When Hodgson stepped down at the end of the 2020–21 season, Lewington also left his position.

In March 2023, Lewington returned to Crystal Palace for a third spell in the role of first-team coach, following the appointment of Hodgson on a short-term contract until the end of the season, the duo staying on for the 2023–24 season having successfully helped the club avoid relegation. His departure from the club was announced on 21 February 2024, two days after Hodgson’s resignation.

Our Affiliated Partner

The man in charge at FIWFA

Established as a company In December 2018, as the Governing body for International Walking Football, in order to manage and guide the growing international scene, promoting social and physical wellbeing. Originally run by the directors of WFA but with the aim of becoming an international organisation with representative board.

• Responsible for the International matches currently being played in the UK
• Responsible for running the first ever European Nations Cup in Chesterfield in 2019
• Responsible for organising the first Official FIWFA World Nations Cup in 2023

Paul is a Chartered Accountant and started playing walking football in 2014 whilst studying for a Football Business & Finance degree at the prestigious University, UCFB at the Etihad campus in Manchester.

In 2016 Paul conceived the idea that the sport was in need of direction, and founded the WFA as the National Governing Body for walking football in the UK.

Progress has been rapid, and the WFA are now the pre-eminent body in the sport, having developed referee training and unique coaching courses, along with establishing England and Wales Over 50s and Over 60s national teams. The WFA also run the world’s largest and oldest National Cup Tournament, with over 200 teams entering in 2019.

Paul and John founded FIWFA to help guide and direct the phenomenal international growth, with the sport now being played in over 50 countries.

Contract Signed for 2025

More than 35 countries from around the world have already applied to – take part in THE WORLD CUP FOR WALKING FOOTBALL, due to be held in Torrevieja, in October 2025. The handing over of the games from the UK, where it was held last year, to Spain, was officially carried out at the venue for the event, the Sport’s City, in Torrevieja. Paul Carr, Chairman of FIWFA met with the Councillor for Sport, Diana Box, along with event organisers Mark Coleman and Mark Kavanagh to launch the games for 2025.

The organisers were also celebrating the announcement of the tournament sponsor ‘Desire properties Owner of the Costa Blanca business Kristian says: “We are beyond excited to announce that Desire Properties will be one of the main sponsors of the 2025 Walking Football World Championship in Torrevieja! “This amazing event will bring together teams from countries around the world and across different gender and age categories. As Mark Kavanagh, Clir Diana Box, Paul Carr, Mark Coleman, Robbie Burns gathered for the venue announcement, Kristian from Desire added: “it’s an honour and a huge responsibility to support both the Spanish national team and the organising committee in creating a competition where fair play and the joy of football at any age are the top priorities”. The bid to host the games in Spain was won by two ex-pat enthusiasts, originally from the UK but living on the Costa Blanca, who were determined to bring the games to Spain after the inaugural games in the UK last year when England won the over 50’s and 60’s cups with Spain coming fourth overall.