Walking football brings older players back on to field

Over-50s can relive their youth in a slower and more leisurely fashion with low-impact, walking football

Players during a walking football match in Norwich, England. Picture: Getty Images.

For the ageing sporty male, it was once a bleak choice between golf and bowls. No longer. Thousands of over-50s are now able to relive their youth in a slower and more leisurely fashion with low-impact football.

Walking football has become so popular in the past 12 months that the England Football Association is drawing up standardised rules for competitive games, to avoid arguments and confusion when teams line up to play.

There are more than 800 walking football clubs registered to play compared with 125 two years ago and, given the fast-growing population of healthy older people, that number soon could be in the thousands.

Manchester City has become the first premiership club to launch a squad, which will be put through its paces by resident coaches at the Etihad complex.

Football is a tough sport, even at the amateur level, taking its toll on the joints and muscles. The idea of walking football is to offer the competitive buzz without the injuries that, for this age group, are easier to inflict and take longer to repair.

Running is not allowed and at all times one foot must remain on the ground. However, that is pretty much the only rule everyone agrees on.

Disputes have broken out between rival teams over other rules, such as the maximum height the ball can reach, leading to the FA stepping in.

“There are now so many festivals and tournaments around the country that a unified, standardised set of rules is really needed,” says Steve Rich, 54, from Kent, who set up the game’s national registration website in 2014.

A former Sunday league player, he thought his footballing days were over after a car accident when he was 26. Then he heard about walking football, joined his local team and began looking around for other clubs to play against. Before he knew it the site was inundated with requests from men looking for a club.

“It is becoming more and more competitive now, and the last thing you want is arguments over what rules the teams will play to before stepping on to the pitch,” Rich says.

“Referees also need more certainty. They can’t be expected to adjudicate between teams who have been using different rules.”

Players are expecting the new rule book to be issued next February.

The rule most frequently broken is the walking one. Players invariably break into a jog in the heat of the moment. They generally receive two warnings before being sent to the sin bin for two minutes at the third offence.

Tackling must involve “minimal contact” although in some tournaments no contact is permitted at all. There is no off-side rule. Teams usually number six players and are split between people in their 50s and the over-60s. Some regular players are as old as 85.

The game had humble beginnings, originating in Chesterfield in 2011 in an effort by the council to get pensioners out and about. It has now won the backing of football stars old and young. Alan Shearer, 46, Harry Kane, 23, Fabrice Muamba, 28, who had a heart attack during a premiership match, and Geoff Hurst, 74, have all taken part in promotional games.

This month the English national championships reach their climax with finals to be played in Cirencester.

The winners, widely expected to be the Leggy Mambos from Barnsley, will go on to play the winners of the Scottish and Welsh championships. There is even talk of a world cup.

“We have contacts with teams in the US, Spain, Portugal and The Netherlands. There is certainly enough momentum,” says Rich.