THE rising popularity of walking football amongst those retired from the full game has seen the sport expand onto an international stage.

This month, the game sees its first full international when England played Italy.

The new version of the beautiful game, open to men and women over 50, also sees its first World Cup tournament take place in 2022.

Locally, the game is also gaining ground as Hereford's team, the Hereford Bulls, have progressed into the next round of the Walking Football Association's National Cup following a resounding 8-2 victory away to Highley of Shropshire.

In their competition debut, a well organised defence laid the foundation for hat-tricks from Cyrus Amini and Paul Williamson before further goals courtesy of Roy Smith and Chris Davies saw the away side into the next round in a match closer than the scoreline suggests.

The Bulls now eagerly await the draw for the second round to see whether they can make it into the West Midlands regional group stage of the national competition.

If you're over 50 and interested in getting involved in walking football, there are friendly matches every Monday (7pm-8pm) and Wednesday (6pm-7pm) at thePoint4 in Hereford.

Whether you have just retired from competitive football or not kicked a ball in 20 years you are welcome to join in.