Competitive edge: the walking football staged at Bromley last week ended in a 4-4 draw

Seth Gillman, whose selection for the England Parkinson’s Walking Football team was reported in Inside Croydon last year, is off on his first overseas tour with the national team.

Gillman is part of the 10-strong England squad which flies to Spain tomorrow, where they will play six-a-side exhibition matches against teams who have been competing in the World Nations Cup of Walking Football.

“I am thrilled to be playing for England,” Gillman says. “I will wear the badge with pride.”

Gillman is 59. He grew up in South Norwood and attended Croydon College. He first had signs of Parkinson’s around 10 years ago, losing mobility in his right hand and arm.

He is now treated at King’s College Hospital, taking a range of medication which so far have helped keep the illness in check.

Team work: Seth Gillman with Bromley’s walking football co-ordinator Vee Goomany

Exercise is equally important in managing the symptoms and Gillman took up walking football with Fighting Fit FC in Watford in 2022. “I hadn’t played football for 30 years,” Gillman says. “But somehow the muscle memories were awakened and I almost forgot I had Parkinson’s.”

Gillman soon found other benefits. “It’s not just the physical side,” he says. “It’s the social side too – getting out, meeting other people and knowing you’re not the only one. It helps give you confidence emotionally as well as physically.”

Gillman usually starts matches on the right but is versatile enough to have played both defence and attack. In preparation for this week’s England tour, he attended a training session at Evesham FC in Worcestershire which was led by Aidy Boothroyd, the former Watford manager who, earlier this year, revealed that he had Parkinson’s himself.

“It a great surprise when we found out he was taking the training,” Gillman said. “It was very inspiring too.”

Gillman is a lifelong Crystal Palace supporter who was at Wembley to see his side win the FA Cup and the Community Shield earlier this year.

He is, naturally, also a keen advocate of the value of exercise for people with Parkinson’s.

Last week, he paid a visit to Bromley FC at Hayes Lane, where a Parkinson’s walking football side was started two months ago. Already around 20 people attend the weekly sessions.

The game between two impromptu sides of mixed ages, gender and abilities was played with both a sense of fun and a clear competitive edge, ending in a 4-4 draw.

The Bromley side is funded by a partnership between Parkinson’s UK, the Football Association and the English Football League. The weekly sessions are organised by the Bromley FC Community Trust’s coaching coordinator, Vee Goomany, who is equally enthusiastic about the benefit they bring the players, some of whom had never played football before.

“I’ve seen an enormous difference in everything they do,” Goomany says. “Some had lost all confidence and could hardly even move. You put a ball in front of them, and everything changes.”

‘Walking football changed my life’: Seth Gillman (third from left) and some of his new team mates and friends at Bromley last week

Anyone interested in attending a session at Bromley can book via this link: https://www.bromleyfc.org/activity/parkinsons-walking-football/

They are open to allcomers, not just Bromley residents. Other sports can be equally effective for people with Parkinson’s and you can access a list of activities by clicking here.

“It was a great session,” Gillman says. “It was very well organised and a lot of fun with a great bunch of people.”

Walking football, “changed my life,” says Seth Gillman.

“I encourage anyone with Parkinson’s to give it a try.”