Whitstable Town Walking Football Club recently travelled to Borken, Germany – one of Whitstable’s official twin towns – to participate in a friendly international walking football tournament. The event marked another fantastic chapter in the strong and growing relationship between the two towns.

The club took two teams to compete in the 6-team mini-tournament, played in an exciting 5-a-side format without goalkeepers. Despite some challenges on the pitch, including an unfortunate injury to one of our players, the spirit of international friendship shone through.

Whitstable faced a tough run, losing all five of their matches, but were boosted by the generosity of our hosts, who loaned us a German player to keep the team going. Our second Team, bolstered by two German players (due to reduced availability following the first team's recent trip to Wembley), finished a respectable 4th place out of 6.

More important than the results, however, was the hospitality shown by our friends in Borken. From start to finish, our hosts were magnificent – the tournament concluded with a fantastic evening of live music, great food, and endless drinks, all shared in the spirit of camaraderie and sport.

Plans are already in motion for a return leg next summer, when we will welcome Borken’s teams to Whitstable for a friendly tournament of our own. We look forward to returning the warm hospitality they showed us and strengthening the bonds between our two communities.