Walking Football – More than a game (Full Version)

Walking football is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and indeed worldwide. This film follows the sport in , Grimsby North East Lincolnshire and explores the benefits to players both physically and mentally.

for me it’s absolutely fantastic I couldn’t ask for better gr that’s for B BLS to to be with if I had to found walking football I would have met all those people I get a break from Family Life a break from work this these group of girls are amazing well like I said once you get there it’s it’s whole new whole it lifts you I think it’s the best thing that’s ever happened I mean for me it is and I think it is for a lot of other players it definitely has an impact on people’s mental health we’ve got various members who who feel that it’s almost save them you can be as low as out but you got to football and as you know when you’re playing football you’ve got to that’s all got to go out your mind you know you cuz you concentrate on your football and you come home in a better mood and you know things like that you know it’s just the fact that you can get together with a group of light-minded people um the football doesn’t really matter that much it’s the chats afterwards the coffees the discussions it’s all all part of walking football uh I’ve never thought any you know a bunch of fellas together would be so good but it is it’s fantastic won’t be without it that’s [Music] walking and football two words that don’t naturally go together you would think but walking football is becoming the fastest growing sport in the UK and it’s played in 70 countries worldwide so what’s it all about and who is it for if you go back to when it started and uh that was probably 2012 and it was the fa Community team at Chesterfield FC who were looking for a physical exercise for the elderly and so when they set out it it was predominantly aimed at males aged over 50 and over 60 uh looking to introduce them where people could improve the general fitness or also combat mental health issues if you think about it the fact that you can get together with a group of light-minded people and the football doesn’t really matter that much it’s the chats afterwards the coffees the discussions it’s all all part of walking football as people have seen the benefits grow from improved Fitness improved mental health Etc it can be seen as being more beneficial to to a wider audience and there’s no doubt that females have com into the game greatly over the past three four five years uh and also now younger age groups are coming in it’s seen as a rehabilitation for those coming back from injury who can play a walking football game as opposed to putting the stress and strain on joints so it it can be for everybody I think it’s the best thing that’s ever happened I mean for me it is and I think it is for a lot of other players I mean like Joe lion who just retired as solicit I told him cuz he was in depressed to come down and walking football now we can’t get rid of him he’s here every bloody session but it’s what the players you know we’ve got teams going to Portugal to play they played last year in Portugal the year before in Portugal and it’s great to be part of the Corinthians being their chairman for the last three or four years I I just enjoy the camaraderie with the players according to the fa the there are 18 laws of the game over a 20page document so here’s the gist of the rules of walking [Music] Football starting with the obvious it’s walking football so you can’t run technically the terminology tends to be not walking rather than running walking itself is defined as always having at least one foot in contact with the ground ironically this this is law number 18 of course there are rules about fouls and misconduct and blue cards are a thing resulting in time in sinin although these are very rare the ball can’t go above head height and free kicks have a rule that players must be 3 m away from the ball as the kick is taken backing into players is an offense and apart from the goalkeeper no one is allowed in the goal area tackling from behind is a definite no no as his hand ball and sliding tackles the game is essentially for over 50s but this may vary a little bit from Club to Club some clubs will play three touch football but tournaments are generally multi-touch well as the gist of it suffice to say that the game should be played in good spirit and fairly by all participants make started at lady section from Corinthians I went down with my wife to just see what it’s like wife enjoyed it some friends of has enjoyed it and that’s how it started really about 3 years ago lots of laughter lots of fun a lot of the ladies against the gents most of the gents have actually played football before majority of these ladies have never kicked a ball before apart from in the back garden with the grandkids or the kids themselves so it’s a very big range of variety from about 25 years old right up to 70y Old so it’s really about the mental health it’s also about enjoyment laughter and also the enter competition with links leagues and Nationals and everything else so they really enjoy it I first start advertise on Facebook um as an opportunity to play football walking pace my age and my husband also plays Walking football so he’s always enjoyed it I thought I might as well try and do something that I wanted to do and wanted to do for a long time at a walking pace rather than yeah um someone that my husband knows uh who was a family member he said did you know there’s a women’s walking football team I’ve been I used to play football when I was younger got out of practice a little bit he said come come down come join the girls walking so here I am I get a break from Family Life a break from work this these group of girls are amazing they they make me laugh and we go out together we socialized Together made a really good group of friends brilliant just been able to mix with different people from different places and play or try to play something we’re really passionate about really want to do very grateful for this opportunity never had it before so it was my ideal opportunity to do [Music] something gam is a g anent Mariners um and we were established in uh 2014 offici it’s our 10th 10th anniversary this year uh group of them started playing in 2012 um and that evolved uh into gam we we we we’re happy to have a broad range of players and ability um we have different games that cater for those uh but we also have a very very uh Lively uh social side uh so we we we have a lot of activities in the year they’re all subsidized by the club um and that adds another element to it with a lot of people uh get get a lot of extra stuff out so dinners quizzes uh race nights uh I’ve met a massive array of new people who I didn’t know before um and that’s been really interesting and uh enjoyable to to meet them and there’s also the mental side of it as well as the physical I think so it definitely has an impact on people’s mental health we’ve got various members who who feel that it’s almost saved them it started um I was a bit lower because I’ve had mental health problems depression what have you uh I lost my job for an accident at work um though I did volunteer work I worked um at harb a place for a couple of days a week and um uh volunteer work and I work with a refugees in the sil SE because they used to Ru a football team but he won off and that that finished and I got a little bit of a lowb and then Jan one day said um I seen this article and a guy called Gary pres who I vaguely knew for football was put this article about walking football and there’s a picture of the guys there about I 10 of them teared up every Monday morning for just for a game of football all in the 50s 60s uh so she said defense giving it a go so uh Aron Gary said just come down and um Paul Gan was running it and Tony parrot and said just come down and and another a look so I met this guy who evaded called Joe John spow um sadly he don’t come anymore but we stood the gates and he said do you f r say yeah we’ll give it a gate so the next fo we played and it just went on from there well last year or so we’ve had some bad luck and what have you and uh if I didn’t go to walking football you know I’d be a mess and it I mean I can’t say you still don’t get days where you’re down but you’re good at football like I say uh and it goes out of your mind you get talking to people plus the fact um me and Chuck did a a course a week course at blundel par on Mental Health uh call outco centers and uh the amount of blow that will come to you not mention any names but they say can I just have a little word just want to bend your ear you know you don’t have to tell them your problems and they’ll bend your and and I said to Chuck I’ve had you know about five guys come up to me said can I just have half an hour with you and you sit and have a cup of tea and talk to you about because men don’t talk about it men will bottle it up and you know until it’s you know I mean I talk to a guy the other week and he said oh I feel like crying I said well cry I said I said I’ve had my problems I said I I I’ll get home I’ll sit in the bath with a little whiskey and I’ll cry on my own I said it’s it’s no you know it’s no disrespect to yourself you know and so all them things come into it you know that’s all part of come for walking football you [Music] know uh links Inspire is the uh sports facilities around the town along with the libraries and things like that uh they’ve got two leure centers they’ve also got stuff out at mingham and the libraries in town as well Bradley opened up into 2010 uh slow to get started at the first first few months of it we had the season kicks off at bombit on uh bookings improved over the years eventually now we are full five days a week Saturdays and Sundays so 7 days a week we’re we’re open running here walking football is massive uh we started it in 200 12 I think it was um the then president of the sunny leag had seen it on BBC News came to tell us about it we had a look at it and thought yeah we’ll go with that initially we had two participants te up so myself and Paul godand who was working with us at the time we both played in it a 2v2 that lasted a few weeks and then we got another one down so then we red in the groundsman to make it a 3v3 and within about probably 6 to8 weeks we had enough for five side game and then it just took off from that eventually when we were running the sessions on a Monday Thursday there was between 60 and 70 participants turning up for our session uh some members want some MERS of again wanted to take it over which they did uh which was fine and then Corinthians was the offshot of that they wanted to be more competitive and links Inspire Runner session on a Friday for anybody that wants to turn up and come down we’re totally inclusive so if you’ve never played football before and you want to come and give it a go you can come and give it a go [Music] well the first time I got into walking football was when uh I finished work and I was in I was always working with lots and lots of people and I thought what do I do when I retire anyway my youngest daughter who wait for link Inspire turned around and said have you thought about walking football course I looked at her so it was you know a big no no so she said to me yeah it goes on D So I says all right okay um yeah I’ll come down so we both went down introduced me to a lot of the lads CU I was going into town and i’ got all dress all my good gear on and one of the lads turned around and said hey got your boots course I said no I’m going into town and basically that was it so the it was mainly because of retirement that I got into it I I I like work I like the camaraderie I like the uh the Mickey take especially the Micky take and it it’s the Panther and everything you know it’s it’s like Ronnie he’s he sets himself up for the banter but he’s a great bloke absolutely absolutely fantastic bloke and uh like I say uh and it’s a social side to it as well uh with the uh Mariners and basically it’s just a good time is had by all so what it was was I went out on the Thursday and uh before that I was taking me eldest granddaughter on a bike up in down U the lace be bypass and I only thank God that I didn’t kill over then whereas when I went to walking football there was people there that had the knowledge to keep me going uh and uh I apparently uh I died four times on the pitch and then the ambulance got there in time kept me going and until I got to a hospital which was absolutely fantastic and I uh I’m so grateful for people like Andy Shaw Glenn who was there and uh all the people that got their heads together and helped me out so and then we just moved on it gets me out the house uh twice three times a week and you the people that you mix with uplift you uh they’re you know if you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps you get there and everything starts to click I’m not the greatest footballer in the world I’ll admit that and uh but like I say once you get there it’s it’s whole new whole it lifts you it’s so so um the enthusiasm there is great it’s fantastic and uh it’s just brilliant you know [Music] oh [Music] [Music]