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This new form of football, promoted by the Colisée Foundation, has a positive impact on the physical, mental and social health of the elderly. walking soccer, or walking football, is a new modality of the beautiful sport. It emerged about a decade ago in the UK and its growth is unstoppable. It’s the sport you know, but played differently. One that allows people over 50 to stay connected to sport that you are passionate about, or can rediscover it and practice it as the physical activity that adds health to your life.
Walking football was born in 2011, in the United Kingdom. The Chesterfield FC Community Trust was looking for an initiative that would help promote physical and social activity among their fans over the age of 50. Currently the (Walking Football Association in its acronym in English) encompasses 1,150 clubs with approximately 40,000 registered players; The largest club in the world being Birmingham, which has 500 members, including 50 women.
In Spain, Getafe CF, Real Betis and FC Cartagena These are some of the clubs that are promoting this new initiative among their older fans. The ultimate end: avoid a sedentary lifestyle, improve health status, autonomy and increase social activity of the participating people.
Walking Football has a positive impact on the physical, mental and social health of the elderly
How do you play walking soccer?
He walking soccer, soccer on foot, “is a type of soccer with a big difference, male and female players can only walk, running is not allowed, nor is it allowed to raise the ball above their heads.” Contacts are not allowed either, in order to avoid the risk of injury. These are the basic rules that the . “With this initiative we seek to help older people to improve their state of health and enjoy through the practice of adapted footballa modality not only sports, but also egalitarian and social”highlights Gema Macías, coordinator of walking soccer of the Getafe CF Foundation
But the first contact with this type of football “it is usually loaded with uncertainties”. The first thing that people who start in the walking soccer is “Can you play football on foot?”. It is hard to imagine that it is possible. “Of course, once they put on their boots and see for themselves the benefits of their practice, they just want more and more”Macías points out. “In general, it is very difficult for them to adapt to the rules of the game, especially the fact that not being able to run. But practicing and learning new forms of movement help them overcome that difficulty.”.
The objective is still to score a goal in the opposite goal, but for play correctly walking footbalhe you need to remember:
- Teams of 5, 6 or 7 members
- Running is not allowed, with or without the ball.
- Entry is not allowed and physical contact is minimal
- The ball is played below the height of the head
What are the benefits of walking soccer?
This emerging form of football is currently a source of research, but one of the main conclusions drawn from the preliminary studies is that it is a sport that, due to its characteristics, has a positive impact on the physical, mental and social health of older people.
It is an almost perfect practice, also for work against sedentarismor, an unhealthy lifestyle that the National Statistics Institute (INE) indicates affects 50% of Spaniards over 65 years of age.
For this reason, the Aging On group, of the , in collaboration with the , develops a study to find out in depth its possible benefits. The United Kingdom is also about to publish the results of an investigation into walking football.
Until now, expert voices indicate that the practice of walking soccercontributes benefits like these:
- Help to build a common space and to enjoy some time together, enhancing the sense of belonging to a group.
- Produces positive changes in cholesterol and glucose of the participants after three months of training.
- It can be effective in hypertension treatment mild to moderate and can induce highly beneficial aerobic activity in general with marked improvements in fat oxidation and the individual’s own aerobic power.
- Produces low levels of stress and exertion while they play. And it causes a state of psychological reward and satisfaction.
- The people participating in these studies have perceived better overall health and increased vitality after the practice of walking soccerwhich indicates an improvement in the quality of life of these people.
- Improve interpersonal relationships; increases self-esteem, self-confidence, empowerment and independence; and encourages self-improvement, motivation and resilience.
- It is also emphasized that people who practice this modality improve your heart healththey gain in agility and mobility and recover their balance.
Ángela Macías, who coaches the team of walking soccer of the Getafe CF Foundation is clear about it. “This modality has a special it is an inclusive activitywhich can be adapted to the conditions of each one and everyone can enjoy in the same way and as a team. Feeling part of a team and having a good time socializingHelping to prevent certain diseases, promoting healthy habits and ultimately improving the quality of life are some of its benefits”.
The young coach, who is passionate about this modality, but above all because of the positive effects it has on the elderly, says that to organize a training session, many factors must be taken into account. “It’s not just about teaching football, but also about remove barriers and stereotypes. you have to do them view the aging process in a positive way and as an opportunity to experience new things and enjoy, without caring what others may think”.
Macías points out that he works in an almost personalized way, he is interested in knowing and understanding the conditions of each participant, their preferences, what experience they have and why they want to play. “We try to get to know each other’s environment more closely and that Feel safe when telling us your things. This is the only way you will get them motivated by what they do, which is a key factor in the development of the activity”.
Definitely, he walking soccer It is a form of football that provides physical, mental and social health. It is a practice that favors active aging and also stimulates an idea of aging in a positive way. Or in the words of one of his players, Beatriz Botrán, 50, “for me the walking soccer It’s the weekly vitamin I need. I have a very stressful job and when I go to training I manage to disconnect. I had never played soccer and it had been a long time since I played sports. I consider it a challenge. makes me feel like I am able to achieve the things that I propose especially if I surround myself with a great team of people and colleagues who make me see that we all add up and no one subtracts”.
Promotion of walking soccer in Spain
The Colisée Foundation and the Getafe CF Foundation have joined forces in 2022 to promote healthy aging and the practice of sport among the elderly. With This less intense form of football makes it easier for the elderly or people with mobility problems to continue practicing this sport.
With the aim of promoting that older people can continue enjoying sport, the collaboration agreement with the Getafe CF Foundation for the 2022-2023 season contemplates the participation of the Colisée Foundation in the promotion of walking soccer in the Community of Madrid and its surroundings, to get more clubs and entities to join this practice, making it accessible to more and more people.
For the Getafe CF Foundation, in the words of its Manager, Nerea Alonso, “Walking Football is a way of betting on an inclusive, equal and healthy sports modality, whose purpose is to help people to stay more active and improve their health in a fun way, enjoying the king of sports, where men and women with no age limit from 50 years of age are welcome. And what better than having the support of the Colisée Foundation, going hand in hand with those who work every day to improve the living conditions of the elderly”.
As the director of the Colisée Foundation, Vicente Moros, also explains, this collaborative project “is born from the firm belief that the Aging is a stage of the life cycle full of opportunities and possibilities.although it may also entail certain difficulties or challenges”. “Promote healthy agingIt gives us the opportunity to maintain a physical and functional capacity that provides well-being in old age, despite the difficulties that age imposes. In this sense, we are inspired by the idea that we don’t stop playing sports because we get oldbut we get old because we stop playing sports”emphasizes Moros.