No races, no goalkeepers or any contact between players, are some of the rules of “Walking Football”, a sport for people over 50 years old, which has attracted more and more fans among students at the Senior University Queen D. Leonor (USRDL ), in Caldas da Rainha.
No races, no goalkeepers or any contact between players, are some of the rules of “Walking Football”, a sport for people over 50 years old, which has attracted more and more fans among students at the Senior University Queen D. Leonor (USRDL ), in Caldas da Rainha.
The objective of this activity, which is a sport for those who want to stay active and have fun playing, even when their bodies no longer allow for great adventures, is more than just physical, but above all “promoting socializing and well-being , in favor of a more active aging”.
“Walking Football” is one of the variants of football for people over 50 years old and that appeared in 2011, in England, for those who wanted to continue playing, but no longer felt the same agility. In Portugal, walking football arrived later, only in 2017, through the Benfica Foundation, which invited RUTIS – Senior Universities Network to join the project, which has the support of the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth.
The modality soon attracted USRDL students, starting with just two seniors and now has a team of nine active athletes, men and women. “Walking Football, which is being developed little by little at the university, has a series of added values, such as the practice of sports, healthy competitiveness, within universities it creates team spirit, and as the teams are mixed, we have ladies who have never they had played ball and gentlemen who hadn’t played for a long time. Some go back to doing what they liked and others try new things”, explained the Physical Education teacher at the USRDL, Fernando Braz, who, in addition to being a coach, is also a player for the Caldense team.
In addition to the “benefits it brings to active aging”, the modality also contributes to a “very large component, the social part, through tournaments, gatherings, interactivity between the team itself and with other teams”, thus helping to combat loneliness and sedentary lifestyle.
However, even for those who have played before, they have to adapt to new rules. “Unlike what happens in England, there are no goalkeepers, any type of contact between players is prohibited and the ball does not go above the waist, so there are no jumps or headers”, explained the Caldense coach.
In addition, running is not allowed, and there is usually a limit to the number of touches each player can take before passing the ball. “The concept is to walk and force athletes to have quick thinking”, underlined Fernando Braz, adding that Walking Football also “cannot score goals behind the midfield”.
The games last 15 minutes, each team on the field has six players and there is no limit on substitutions. “Despite being short games, the modality obliges people to always be on the move”, stressed the teacher, who currently trains the USRDL team twice a week, at the Pavilhão da Mata Rainha D. Leonor, between 3:30 pm and at 5 pm.
Despite being a mixed team, Fernando Braz stressed that “we still don’t have enough athletes to participate in official tournaments”. “Half of the team is capable of developing a game, but the other half is still in the learning and motor acquisition phase”, said the coach, pointing out that the “most important thing is socializing and being together, because this is a game for all”. He also highlighted that “here there is no excuse to say I’m not good or I can’t because I’m slower. It is a totally inclusive sport, not only in gender, but also in the skills that the person has”.
With regard to the ages of the athletes, these vary between 59 and 80 years.
For next year, the coach from Caldas aims to increase the number of practitioners and work to “attract sponsors”, as well as organize a tournament in Caldas da Rainha dedicated to the sport.
Two seniors, Filomena Franco, and Elisiê Vieira, consider the modality “an excellent physical exercise, which, above all, greatly improves coordination and balance, something that is extremely important at more advanced ages, and also improves cardiovascular indices”. “Not to mention the conviviality”, pointed out Filomena Franco.
Fernando Rodrigues referred that “Walking Footbal makes me feel physically much better and gives me a lot of energy, good mood and joy”. The benefits are felt in the “balance of physical health in general, mental health and well-being”.
