Think of football; the high-speed, high-intensity game that everyone knows. Now, think of playing that game, but without running! Walking football is a variation of regular football, just with this little twist.
Even though a walking football session is played at a slower pace, this fun game is becoming increasingly popular throughout the whole world, and less intense so it is open to those who thought they had already retired from the game they love.
The walking football game was created specifically for the older generation, featuring age-appropriate and simple rules designed with health and safety in mind. In order to prevent unnecessary contact, tackling is only allowed with no contact, and kicking should never go over the head.
A typical six-a-side game is played on small fields with small goals. You can also play walking football indoors, on 3G/4G artificial grass pitches, or on natural grass.
History Of Walking Football
This variation of football is fairly new and was created in 2011 by John Croot. Even though this is the case, walking football did not gain much public attention until 2014 when Steve Rich saw an ad promoting the game. He was an ex-Sunday League player who was forced to give up his soccer career due to a car crash.
Steve Rich was inspired to create a website after seeing the ad. He wanted to do this so that local teams could connect and play walking football across the United Kingdom.
While it was first played in Scotland, walking football is now commonly known in 53 countries throughout the world. As of now, there are over 1,000 active clubs in the UK, with more than 60,000 players participating in England alone. Even though this sport is aimed at people over age 50, anybody can enjoy playing it.
