TEAM SPAIN FIWFA WNC WOMENS 50s SQUAD
TEAM SPAIN FIWFA WNC SQUADS ANNOUNCED
Following a series of training camps and a national recruitment drive over the last six months that has seen both Mark Coleman and Mark Kavanagh travel extensively throughput the mainland and the islands, the final Team Spain squads have been announced that will compete in this years eagerly awaited FIWFA World Nations Cup, to be held in Torrevieja, Spain this October.
Congratulations go to the following players selected and the clubs they represent.
Manager – Glynn Hague
Coach -Richard Coleman
1. Deborah Johnson-Portobello-Costa Blanca
2. Shiela Clifford – MFC – Axarquia
3. Sarah Baker – Competa – Axarquia
4. Auxi Espinosa – Iberas Sevilla – Sevilla
5. Tracey King – Competa – Axarquia
6. Jane Smith – Portobello- Costa Blanca
7. Michelle Toft – Portobello- Costa Blanca
8.Elena Agulo – Iberas Sevilla – Sevilla
9. Patricia Gonzalez – Iberas Sevilla -Sevilla
10. Carin Carli – Nerja – Axarquia
11. Elain Hannah – Competa – Axarquia
12. Mercedes Martin – Iberas Sevilla – Sevilla
Mark Coleman, the Team Spain Founder, was delighted with how the selection process unfolded and the opportunity that the group had facilitated for many players from different regions and backgrounds – “Our Team Spain roadshows and willingness to travel to build relationships among the walking football fraternity have paid dividends and this can be seen through the squads selected.“ He went on to add, “We have to be competitive but we also have to be authentic and it is not always easy to strike a balance or to keep everyone happy, squads are picked on playing merit but we try to be as accessible as possible and in a country as vast as Spain this is a difficult challenge. We have managed to select players from Galicia, Madrid, Alicante, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Sevilla, Malaga and the Axarquia which is fantastic. The percentage of Spanish born players across the four squads stands at around 35% which is a higher average than could be expected form a sport that in terms of participation levels is still dominated by expatriates. This percentage could be even higher but we continue to receive some negativity in regards to approaching players from the Basque and Catalan regions who will not entertain the idea of playing for us and others that believe that Team Spain should only be for Spaniards irrespective of their playing ability – unfortunately we don’t subscribe to that opinion and wish to be competitive in every tournament we play”.
As the game grows in Spain and new teams emerge and competitive structured leagues are formed the participation levels will rise accordingly and so it is reasonable to expect that the percentage of Spanish born players pulling on the shirts of Team Spain will do too – we hope that by the time the next FIWFA WNC comes around in 2027 we have over 50% Spanish born players across the whole playing group.