GET ACTIVE
newspaper about walking football, so I gave it a go.” He adds: “It has given me a whole new lease of life both on and off the football pitch as well as a great new social circle. It’s been fantastic.”
A truly friendly match
Walking football is a slowed-down version of the game most of us are familiar with. There are also various other rule changes to make it safer and more inclusive for older players and those with health issues. Players are not allowed to run, and if they do, the opponents are awarded a free kick. Other key differences include the ball not being allowed above head height, and encouraging only low-impact tackling, so outlawing any potentially dangerous sliding tackles. Matches are often made up of small-sided teams (ideally six or seven in each team), with each half lasting 30 minutes at most. The emphasis is usually firmly on fun rather than on winning at all costs. “I play three times a week, which has kept me physically and mentally fit,” says Stuart, who set up walking football at his Abbeymead Rovers club. “I usually come off afterwards sweating and with a raised heart rate because it’s basically doing a power walk while playing football. But as it’s not as demanding as normal football, it’s open to any level of fitness, any age and even people with mobility or major health challenges.”
Team spirit at its best: everyone’s included
Stuart is a director of the Walking Football Association (WFA), one of the game’s governing bodies, which, along with the Football Association (FA), continue to grow the game. He is also the manager of the WFA’s over 60s England team, which includes two ex-professional footballers in its ranks. Although representative teams and
The emphasis is usually firmly on fun rather than on winning at all costs
photos: RicardoImagen, SolStock/istock, stuart langworthy
Keeping going in other sports It’s not only football that is dropping down a gear or two to welcome those with a few more miles on the clock. Many popular sports have now developed a slower version. Walking team sports include basketball, hockey and netball, while a simpler form of slowed-down rugby is successfully keeping many older players still in the game. The walking version of cricket, for instance, uses a softer ball; even the ‘runs’ are walked and all the fielding is at a more sedate pace. In walking tennis you can allow the ball to bounce twice before playing your shot. And if you fancy the hugely popular phenomenon that is parkrun, you can walk the 5km course alongside the joggers if that’s more your speed. Remember, CSSC offers funding to cover entry fees for some running, cycling, wheelchair, triathlon and walking events over five miles. Explore how to claim online at cssc.co.uk/activity-subsidy-scheme.
competitive club tournaments are a goal for some who take it up, for the vast majority, it’s simply a way to stay fit and make new friends. “Some people play it once a week, while for others it might be more often,” he explains. “Many matches are quite informal, so everyone gets to play. It really is about the enjoyment and banter on the pitch rather than being competitive. Afterwards we go for a coffee or a drink and have a chat and a laugh. It’s this social side which means many try it, like it and stick with it.”
Getting it started in the UK
That’s certainly the ethos at Barnet FC, which welcomes about 100 men and women each week to enjoy a game of walking football. The club’s community-led Hive Trust set up the club’s walking football team more than five years ago. “I had never been much of a footballer at all until I was in my 50s,” admits Shaun Sherrick, who’s the team organiser at Barnet FC. “But then the club asked me to help set up a walking football team. The first week only a couple of interested players turned up, but now it has grown to more than 100 a week, including both men and women. The split is that about 70 per cent have played football in the past but are not ready to hang up their boots just yet; and the other 30 per cent want to give it a go as it sounds more suited to them because it is less physically demanding.” Shaun often finds himself refereeing matches if he’s not playing, which he finds is equally satisfying as he feeds off the positive vibe of others enjoying their football. “It’s great we can have all ages and abilities on our pitches here. GPs are now doing more social prescribing (when health professionals suggest non-clinical ways to improve someone’s health). So we are finding people who may have been told to lose weight, manage diabetes with activity or are
PODIUM ISSUE 1 | NOVEMBER 2021 | cssc.co.uk/PODIUM
35
