The Joys of Walking Football
I’d like to write on the attractions of Walking Football and so encourage people to come and give the game a try. One of the fastest growing sporting activities in the country, Walking Football is played by people from all walks of life, of all ages and abilities, both men and women. The game provides good physical exercise and is also a great social outlet. All in all, it is a most enjoyable activity.
The games are played in a very friendly spirit and are the occasion for a very enjoyable social gathering of keen and enthusiastic people. The typical age of the players is fifties and sixties, although the game is open to people of all ages and abilities, providing a fun way to mix with others and play a sport in an accessible and friendly way. The game is inclusive and open to all.
The more the numbers the merrier! Football is a team game and there’s a place on the team for everyone. My first games were played with players ranging in age from sixteen to late sixties, and possibly seventies, (it was hard to tell, seeing everyone coped easily with the physical demands). In a game that is played at walking pace with limited physical contact, the more athletically enabled players don't have that much of an advantage over the players aged 50 and over. The ball does the work. It’s a good age range, and the game is played very keenly and to a very decent standard. The age and ability range keeps you young-at-heart, fresh and active.
The Rules
The rules to Walking Football are very simple: it’s football between two teams of five or six players a side; there’s no running on or off the ball (at least one foot must be on the floor at all times); there’s little physical contact, with tackling allowed only from the front of the player in possession and not from behind or the sides; there are kick-ins instead of thrown-ins; and there is no kicking of the ball over head-height. All-in-all, it’s a very safe and accessible form of sport, competitive but played in a very genial atmosphere. The fact that the game is played at walking pace puts the accent on playing with the ball at your feet, playing to feet, controlling possession, seeing your team-mates, passing, and working moves. (There are also a number of very specific technical regulations now codified by the various national football associations).
Since its start in 2011/2012, the game has become increasingly popular and is ideally suited to those looking to return to the game after many years away as well as those seeking a more active lifestyle for health reasons. The game has plenty to offer with respect to physical health and social connection. Other than that, it is just plain enjoyable activity.
I hadn’t played football for more than three decades before deciding to give the game a go. My old home town of St Helens were bringing a team over to my new home town of Llandudno, 10th August, so I had to go and investigate. Taking my place in and against teams of mixed ages and abilities, I found the game challenging enough to be thrilling, but easy and accessible enough to be able to play and enjoy. I was never a great footballer. I was keen but not particularly good. I have to say, I saw more of the ball playing Walking Football than I ever did in the past. Everyone gets a little bit of time and space to play, without people rushing at you to chase you off the ball or rob you of possession. The game is well within the capabilities of most everyone. If you can walk you can play! And if you can play you will enjoy it. I can’t stress enough whilst the game is good healthy activity, above all it is most enjoyable. Walking football keeps you active but, most of all, in addition to its physical health benefits, it is a great way to meet like-minded others and is just such good sociable fun. In no time at all I was exchanging pleasantries with fellow footballers as though we were all old friends from way back. We’d chat, we’d play, we’d play and chat.
The Game
Walking football is one of a number of adapted sports that have been developed in recent years and has grown massively in popularity since its start. Walking football was launched in 2012 with the express aim of offering older people the opportunity to play a version of the game competitively but genially, regardless of age and dis/ability. Basically, if you enjoy football, being active, and meeting people, then Walking Football is for you!
The game is the same as the original game of football in most respects, other than requiring that you walk with the ball and and keep at least one foot on the ground at all times, and not tackle opposing players from behind or from the sides, only challenge from the front. The skills required on the pitch have to be fine-tuned to the pace and constraints of the game. The emphasis is on actually playing football, controlling possession, finding space, passing the ball, using the ball to create shooting opportunities. This demands that players link with their team-mates, read the game, organise well, and show discipline and control.
Getting to grips with the skills sets of Walking Football, playing the same game differently, is challenging but thrilling. There is athleticism to the game but it is an athleticism that is available to all, removing the advantages of pace and power and placing the accent on footballing nous and skill. This was hard for me returning to the game, since my game in “Running Football” had been all about running, chasing, and tackling in defence and dribbling and outflanking opponents in the attack. My game was all about pace and power. You can still dribble, but it is hard to keep dribbling down the pitch. If the opponents you beat cannot challenge you from behind, nor can you shake them off by running away. You learn to take the time you have, look up, find a team-mate who is better placed, pass the ball, and move into space to make yourself available for a possible return. You learn to play as a team. You also learn to play the ball to feet and not well behind a defender or ahead of an attacker, since players cannot run on to take a ball played into space. You can, of course, walk incredibly quickly in an attempt to make up ground, which can make for scenes of high comedy (Ministry of Funny Walks). These constraints actually give you more time and space, which you learn to use so that you come to actually play some football rather than merely running and tackling hard. If, like me, you dreamed of being Johan Cruyff, then Walking Football gives you a little bit of time and space with which to indulge your fantasies. As the rules on tackling were being explained to the players before my very first game, I summed up by saying that, basically, just let others play a bit of football, which is why we were all here. You can challenge from the front, obstruct, close down space and deny opportunity. It is competitive sport, after all, which comes with its own thrills. But leave players in possession to play when you are behind or at the side. And just enjoy the football that is played. You’ll get your turn to have a go in due course.
Walking football is a game that is surprisingly fast moving, and is both physically and mentally challenging in being highly technical and skilful. It is football designed and adapted for those who can’t quite meet the athletic demands of the mainstream game. Let’s face it, we can’t stay 21 forever, but that doesn’t mean that our love of the game is diminished. The enthusiasm continues and needs an outlet.
Walking football is a more controlled game than the running and tackling form of the game, with what is lost through pace and power being more than made up by technical demands and skill levels. These restrictions are a great leveller when it comes to age and physical ability. The evidence also strongly indicates that older players operate better in smaller teams playing on smaller Astroturf pitches which have much less impact on the knees and lower body.
Walking Football is an enjoyable form of exercise which has multiple health and social benefits. I shall take these in turn.
Health Benefits
Walking Football has many tangible health benefits for people of any age. Being physically active and remaining physically active is a critical factor associated with the personal physical and mental well-ness and health of older people, which is basically anyone who is 40+.
There is considerable research to show that playing Walking Football can help:
• Build strength in bones, connective tissue and cartilage
• Improve posture by strengthening musculature
• Increase core stability
• Decrease fat stores by burning calories
• Improve balance and coordination
• Normalise blood pressure, improve blood flow and reduce stress
• Lower blood sugars
• Strengthen the immune system
• Improve social life, combat loneliness and support collaborative networks
Those who play Walking Football on a regular basis report greater levels of general physical fitness.
You are free to play at your own pace. One of my favourite ever footballers was Liverpool’s Jan Molby. He didn’t run around too much even at the peak of his career, positioning himself in the middle of the park and spraying the ball around to set up move after move. But to say that there is no running isn’t to say that the game is lacking in athleticism. Walking with purpose and intent stretches muscles and increases the range of mobility, enabling additional flexibility. It also sharpens your wits, keeping you mentally alert.
Walking Football as Therapy
It is also clear that the social aspects of the sessions provide an immeasurable boost to mental well-being, the regular social interaction fostering a sense of community and belonging. I would highlight the opportunities the game provides for frequent and continuous participation in physical activity, social connection and community-building, cross-generational exchanges.
These benefits are built into the origins of the game. Walking Football was conceived by Chesterfield Football Club’s Community Trust in 2011 as a participation sport to help older men find a way out of isolation and its debilitating effects. Originally aimed at tackling physical inactivity, loneliness, and depression among men in the 50-plus age bracket, the growing popularity of the game indicates an appeal to a much broader range of people: younger people, ex-professional footballers and other ex-athletes, women, those with or recovering from health issues, those looking for relief from stress and anxiety, and those who simply love the game and always did. There are now over 1,000 walking football clubs affiliated to The Walking Football Federation, the national governing body for the sport in Great Britain, with almost 2,000 members.
It is plain that few people ever stop playing football because they stopped enjoying the game but simply because they think the day has come to hang up their boots. Think back to your younger days and you will confirm this to be true. Life comes with the constant addition of commitments, each one placing increasing demands on your time. I sold my boots in my early twenties in order to concentrate on my studies. It was a ridiculous decision, as I should have known, since I sold my boots to a guy who was thirty-nine, who encouraged me to play for as long as I can. A healthy body and a healthy mind go hand-in-hand, and the healthier you are actually gives you so much increased energy that you feel you have more time to do more things. But people tend to think that their time is up as they age. This is wrong. You should never foreclose on life and its myriad possibilities. And you should never stop playing football! Ever!
The games are played in a very friendly spirit, creating a very genial atmosphere as people get to know one another based on a shared interest – the love of the game. Walking is still activity. You are walking back and forth, turning with the flow of the game, finding space. This boosts your health both physically and mentally, generating an alertness and sense of vitality that is sustained through regular attendance at the sessions. It gives you something to look forward to every week, sharing a common passion with a good group of people.
The main reasons drawing people to Walking Football are clear: the fun, the enjoyment, the camaraderie, and the thrill of a little friendly competition in a game played in a very genial atmosphere. The activity is so enjoyable that people find that they increase their general levels of health and fitness without even realising it.
Summary
Walking Football is football played at walking pace. The game is a scaled-down version of mainstream football, played on smaller pitches between teams of five or six, with no running on or off the ball and little contact, challenges only from the front and no tackling from behind or from the sides. The game is ideally suited to those looking to develop and maintain an active lifestyle as well as those seeking opportunities to get back into football having stopped due to age or injury. Fun and sociable, the game keeps you active, fit, and healthy.
Come on down and play some football!
That’s me in the black cap with the Welsh motto which translates as “Go slowly and go far.” Not that walking is slow exactly. Genial, more like; football at a nice pace. I covered a lot of ground that day, too. I’m pictured here with the winning Reds team, 10th August 2022, the day my home town of St Helens brought a team to my new home town of Llandudno. It was a great day of good fun in the sun, games played in a fantastically friendly atmosphere enjoyed by all.