Play Well, Play Fair
Mel Benson, England
England Football and Goal Click have teamed up to create a powerful storytelling series spotlighting how grassroots clubs across England bring The FA’s five pillars of Respect the Standard to life. Nine clubs throughout the country have shared the behaviour-focused initiatives they take to promote positive change.
Mel Benson coaches the Braunton FC Women’s Walking Football team where she works to foster a positive environment within the club and with their opposition on and off the pitch.
My name is Mel Benson and I am nearly 52 years old. I live in North Devon with my wife, Wendy. As a child, I played football everywhere I could - on the playground, the road outside my house, and at the park. I loved football so much.
At the age of 11, my football days ended because there were no girls’ teams in my area and I was not allowed to play at school with the boys.
In my early twenties back in 1995, I had the opportunity to play but then ruptured my ACL in my first match when I landed after a header. Surgery followed and I did not kick a ball again until 2014! I had very little involvement in football until I met my wife. We used to go and support Southampton FC, where we lived and where I grew up.
We then moved to Devon in 2014 and it was here that I saw an advert asking for volunteers to help at a local disability football club called Barnstaple Ability FC. I went along to one session and fell back in love with football. I stayed with this club for five years and attained my Level 1 coaching badge. I also increased participation numbers, recruited other volunteers, and helped set up the first Women’s Ability League in Devon. Since then, I have also earned my UEFA C coaching badge alongside my wife.
Walkers, Strollers, And Wanderers
Braunton FC and some of the other teams in North Devon decided in 2018 to look at setting up a new Women’s League. Some old gals from Braunton FC (with a few young guns!) established a team so that when the girls reached the age 16, they would still have a league to play in. With so many girls’ teams in the area, there was a need for a women’s league.
I am delighted to share that there is now a thriving league in North Devon called the Sports Lighting Devon Football League North/East Division, which is full of talented young footballers.
I got involved with Walking Football in 2022 after learning about it through some Age UK sessions. The early days were a bit of a laugh and people used to turn their noses up at it. However, I attended a few matches, tournaments, and training sessions and could see its value.
A few women from the 11-a-side team came along with me and we met women from a few other teams. We were keen to start a team and enter tournaments so we set up Braunton Women’s Walking Football team around the time the Age UK sessions stopped.
Walking football is a hugely tactical game, probably much more so than 11-a-side. I set about arranging training sessions and getting us a few games. We started with three or four players and now have around 40 players on our books at Braunton FC women’s team. We have just launched our first mixed-gender team as well.
The ethos of our clubs is to make sure football is for all. We do this by supporting and developing players between 30 and 70 years old and of all abilities. We love our Strollers team, primarily consisting of players aged 60+, our Wanderers who are a mix of experienced and developing players, and our Braunton team which provides a platform for our most talented players. We also have some international players who represent England, Wales and Ireland, and players on the South West regional team.
We have always been a club that has valued good behaviour on and off the pitch. We do not always get it right, but we are known as a team that plays well and plays fair. As a manager, I prefer we lose a match but play in the right spirit rather than win by playing in a way that upsets others.
I have experienced being on the receiving end of poor behaviour on the pitch with opponents constantly berating referees and disobeying the rules. I have even had players kick and hit out at me which is all unacceptable. It left me questioning if I even wanted to play football anymore. I never want others to view me or my club this way.
I once ended up on the ground when another player kicked out at me. I have also seen players argue nose-to-nose with referees. I dislike hearing managers, captains, or players continuously and aggressively calling out referees. Sadly, some grown women feel it is appropriate to threaten violence or become overly aggressive in a game. This makes everyone on the pitch more feisty and on edge. It impacts how players play and makes the game unenjoyable.
There is a way to play and the real classy teams do not need to be aggressive. They play the ball around you beautifully. They leave you admiring their skill and, when this is coupled with good nature on the pitch, it is brilliant, win, lose or draw. These are the teams we want to play and learn from.
Playing The Right Way
We run mixed team tournaments and matches to influence positive behaviour within the sport. We invite other clubs to join us and then mix teams so that players from all clubs play with different teammates for the day. This is a great way for players across many teams to get to know each other better. It allows friendships to develop so that when the teams meet to play in competitive matches, the players already know each other. This helps influence positive behaviour as the team already knows the opposition.
We have also trained ten players as referees. This has broadened the horizons of these players and given them a unique understanding of the challenges faced by referees. By putting players through the course, they realise how difficult a job it is.
Many people at the club drive forward our desire to play the game in the right way. For example, we have played against teams where we coach the opposing players while we play to help them develop their skills. We have eased off teams when we know we have won the game. There is no need to thrash or embarrass other teams.
Having mutual respect and understanding that we can use our skill, technique, tactics and finesse to win a match with good humour, grace and humility are what we consider ‘playing the game the right way’.
We promote good behaviour by being clear with our players about expectations, including game time and formations. We make it clear if matches are equal game time or if we are selecting mixed ability or our best players. Doing this enables players to make choices about their attendance and provides clarity about what to expect on the day.
With that said, some players still play 11-a-side and have not quite fully adjusted to the changes required for Walking Football but they will
Meeting the needs of the players is important to a happy and successful team. As our coaches and managers are normally on the pitch, we ask our ‘game changers’ to carry out a coaching role while they wait to play. This helps keep them engaged with the squad and helps the team know simple details like how long is left, formation changes required, and to hear positive messages from the sidelines.
Anyone can be a game changer. While coaches and captains take responsibility for fostering a fair play ethos among the squad, every individual takes responsibility for themselves both on and off the pitch.
Building Bonds
Walking Football feels like a huge family. Many teams travel all over the UK and abroad to play, giving them the opportunity to form strong bonds. For example, we play in the Birmingham and Somerset County Leagues and also play matches in the Midlands, Scotland, Dorset, Wales and Devon just to name a few.
We are heading to Portugal to play in March followed by Italy, Scotland, The Netherlands, Morocco, Denmark and Spain. We have formed good friendships with players from around the UK and overseas teams and this would not be possible if we did not have the right approach to games. We know we can always improve, but our footballing heart is definitely in the right place.
Walking football within our community is massive. We have one of the largest women-only clubs in the UK and our training sessions are always well-attended. We have gone from providing one session a week to three, with matches also played weekly
Our reputation is the foundation of what we are built upon. People know we have a great setup, we value our players, and we support our community.
In the main though, we are one massive footballing family of older women who generally could not play when we were younger. We now have an opportunity to do so and we all love it.
