On football pitches across the UK, thousands of people in their 50s, 60s and 70s are proving that the beautiful game does not have to end with age. Walking football is a variation of running football (or soccer) mostly targeted at older people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what\u2019s it like to play football later in life? According to the walking footballers I interviewed for my latest research, the sport has become a way for them to push back against common ideas of ageing as a period defined by illness, decline and dependence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Created in 2011, walking football provides an opportunity for people to be physically and socially active as they get older. It is estimated that around 100,000 people in England alone played walking football last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While there is some research on the physiological and psychological benefits of walking football, data has been limited in scale and substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For my study, I interviewed 53 men and 12 women who played walking football. I wanted to find out what participation in walking football meant to them. I asked them about why they initially became involved in walking football, what its major benefits and drawbacks are and how it feels to play the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Players spoke positively about their bodies in three main ways. First, they highlighted the physical benefits of playing. For some, walking football was a way to stay fit. For others, it helped them lose weight or maintain their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Theodore, 68, told me, the game gives him a chance to \u201cget out and participate, mix, and get your body in a state whereby you\u2019re a lot physically and psychologically healthier\u201d. Good health and physical fitness were often a source of pride. But players were also keen to challenge the idea that walking football is easy. Many described it as physically demanding and highly competitive. Larry, 67, called it \u201chard\u201d and \u201cskilful\u201d. Patrick, 51, said it was \u201ca lot more intense than I actually thought it was going to be\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, players spoke about the simple pleasure of playing football again. For many, especially those who had played the traditional game when they were younger, there was joy in rediscovering skills they thought they had lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finn, 65, described the experience this way: \u201cYou think you\u2019re never going to kick a ball again or do anything. And all of a sudden, all that twisting and turning, it\u2019s still there. I hit some goals in last night. It was like going back to when I was twenty\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stories like this suggest that walking football is about more than exercise. It can reconnect people with an important part of their identity and remind them of what their bodies are still capable of doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third, players acknowledged that aches, pains and injuries are part of the game. But many did not see this as a reason to stop playing. Some even wore their discomfort as a \u201cbadge of honour\u201d, as Jasper, 70, put it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This runs against common assumptions that older people will avoid activities that carry a risk of pain or injury. Many participants described experiencing everything from sore muscles to broken bones, yet still felt the benefits outweighed the costs. As Vincent, 65, told me: \u201cThe pain is worth the pleasure\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, players stressed the importance of looking after one another. They described matches being stopped when someone was injured and adaptations being made so that people with dementia or limited mobility could take part. <\/p>\n\n\n\n