Morning Kevin I think a questionnaire is a must and I would ask them to disclose any medical conditions that you need to be aware of together with any need for med's like inhalers etc. Think about a disclaimer so that they are aware of the risks involved and include contact details for next of kin etc.
At our age group the need for 1st aiders and access to defibrillator would be ideal and i would go as far as encouraging a safety briefing for all, including new members.
Once the health and safety has been addressed then assessing ability will go a long way to ensuring you not only keep new members but retain them.
If you can establish information such as when they have last played, last taken part in sport, who they played for, what league, position played etc. Once you are ready to start I would encourage a coaching session with very little competition. Just start with the basics and include a good warm stretching, walking drills without and then with the ball.
Many of the principles in coaching within football still hold for WF but may just need toning down. It is during these basic drills that you can soon assess a players ability and if these are continued then players will improve. You can step these up by slowly introducing competition and team building into drills such as shuttles with a ball etc. If managed correctly this will also instill good principles for walking football as you look to ensure players are discouraged from running.
