FIWFA and International Walking Football

Timeline, the founders and directors

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

Paul Carr is Chief Executive

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 Carr

Founder and Chief Executive

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 350 teams entering in 2024.

The inaugural World Nations Cup in St Georges Park in 2023 was a great success with 19 nations attending.England won both the 50s and 60s groups.

Paul founded FIWFA to help guide and direct the phenomenal international growth, with the sport now being played in over 80 countries.

Ricky Weir

FIWFA Ambassador to Africa
Ricky has been instrumental in developing Walking Football in Africa introducing the game to Rwanda (2019), Nigeria (2020) and Kenya (2024). Both Nigeria and Rwanda participated in the World Nations Cup 2023 in England and intended to also participate in the World Nations Cup 2025 in Spain, but were thwarted from doing so due to visas being refused. Ricky is hopeful that both countries will return for the 2027 edition of the World Nations Cup and may be joined by Kenya and possibly Uganda.
Ricky is presently one of a select group of Internationally qualified tournament referees and was voted International Referee of the year in 2025 and further received the prestigious accolade of being appointed to referee the World Nations Cup 2025 final in the Men’s 50 plus category, which is heralded as the blue riband event of the competition with the highest level of participating teams.
Ricky is currently based in the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands where he referees in a thriving local Walking Football League comprising 10 teams, an initiative in which he played a key role in helping to establish on the island back in 2019 and in which he played until deciding to make the transition from player to referee after participating at World Nations Cup in 2023, not for Jersey but Nigeria, a country with which he has family heritage through his biological father.
international walking football

Dr Dee Dee Mahmood

Director of International Development and Research

Dr Dee Dee Mahmood is the Director of International Development and Research.

In what is a major milestone in the sport, Dee Dee is Instrumental in spearheading research and developing augmental progress of Walking Football4Health Asia with her communities- crossing-countries health empowerment movement into Asia and Australia.

As a highly respected and influential individual, Dee Dee is known internationally as a TEDx Speaker, Keynote Speaker Lecturer, Researcher, multi-award-winning Celebrity Exercise Physiologist & Nutritionist and TV Presenter/Talk Show Host.

Ken Davies

Ken Davies

Head of Marketing

Ken has been involved in Marketing and Advertising for over 40 years. He first got involved with walking football in 2019 when he took over the marketing role at The WFA. This role grew and he was made a Director of The WFA in 2020.

Ken was heavily involved in running the first World Nations Cup in 2023, not just from a marketing standpoint. Ken built and manages both the FIWFA and WFA websites and designed the logo for both organisations and the WNC.

Ken does all this in what spare time he has, as he still runs his own Marketing Agency.

Stuart langworthy

Stuart Langworthy

Head of Coaching

Stuart Langworthy, has been volunteering in football for over 50 years.  Now managing a national team and in 2013 becoming the First Manager to win the World Nations Cup Over 60 and being Awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Association Football and Walking Football, on the King’s first Birthday Honours List – he is living the dream

Stuart was a founder member of Abbeymead Rovers Football Club in 1997 and in 1999 he became Chairman for 21 years in which the club grew to become one of the largest in the South West with over 50.

As a teacher for 39 Stuart won several awards including the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion. He was also the inspiration behind a novel ‘The Boy Who Played Guitar.  Following 7 years of teaching part-time in Bourton-on-the-Water,

In 2020, during lockdown Stuart was approached and asked to run a ‘Virtual Walking Football’ Programme for the We Are Undefeatable campaign – this was the start of Impairment Walking Football.  Following retirement, he became a director of the WFA, developing grassroots and impairment Walking Football, Traveling to many countries to help them develop the sport, giving inspirational talks and generally spreading the love for the sport.