The plan behind the story · In Northampton, Sandra Riley waited 45 years for a football team, then helped build one
Six weeks from the touchline to a regular game
By the end of six weeks you will have found a walking football session, played in at least four of them and know the names of half the squad. If you are already fit, the same six weeks take you into league matches and your first tournament.
Why this works
Walking football removes the two things that stop most adults playing: running and collisions. What is left is passing, positioning and a team that expects you every week. That last part matters most. Sandra Riley said some of her players come for the exercise and some for the company, and that the club was “more than just a sports club”.
The evidence is early but points the right way. In a 2015 study in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, ten men with an average age of 66 played one two-hour session a week for 12 weeks. Body fat fell from 30.3 to 27.5 per cent, their time to exhaustion on a fitness test rose by 11 per cent, and every one of them completed the programme. The study was small and had no control group, and blood pressure did not improve. But an activity that people finish is rare, and worth noticing.
Before you start
- Check with your GP (family doctor) if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or a joint replacement, or have not exercised for some time. Tell the coach as well.
- Kit: trainers with some grip, comfortable clothes, a water bottle. Shin pads once you are playing matches. Do not buy boots until you know what surface your club plays on.
- Cost: ask when you ring. Clubs charge per session and it varies.
- Where to look (UK): your county FA, the Walking Football Association, your local Age UK, or the community trust of the nearest professional club.
- Where to look (US): search “walking soccer” plus your city, or ask your parks and recreation department or YMCA.
- Women-only, men-only and mixed sessions all exist. Ask which a club runs.
The plan
| Week | Do this | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (getting going) | Ring or email two clubs. Ask about the beginners’ session and whether you can watch. Walk briskly for 15 minutes. | Calls once; walks 3 days | The first club told Riley no. The second said yes. |
| 1 (already fit) | Find a club that plays in a league. Go to training this week. | 1 session, plus your usual exercise | Say you want matches. Clubs are usually short of players. |
| 2 (getting going) | Go and watch, or join the warm-up and one short game. Stop when you want. | 1 session, plus 3 walks of 20 minutes | Nobody will mind you sitting out. Stay for the tea. |
| 2 (already fit) | Two sessions. Concentrate on not running: one foot on the ground at all times. | 2 sessions | Fit people give away the most free kicks for running. |
| 3 (getting going) | Play half the session. Learn three names. | 1 session, plus 3 walks | Pass and move into space, at a walk. That is the whole game. |
| 3 (already fit) | Two sessions. Add 10 minutes of passing against a wall with your weaker foot. | 2 sessions, plus 2 wall sessions | First touch and passing accuracy win walking football, not fitness. |
| 4 (getting going) | Play the full session. | 1 session, plus 3 walks of 25 minutes | Stiff the next day is normal. Sharp pain in a joint is not; rest it. |
| 4 (already fit) | Play your first league or friendly match. | 1 training, 1 match | Ask to try two positions. |
| 5 (getting going) | Play the full session and try a second one if the club has it. | 1–2 sessions, plus 2 walks | Go for the tea or the lunch afterwards. This is where friends are made. |
| 5 (already fit) | Two sessions and one match. Wear a step counter. | 3 times this week | Riley said players can cover five miles (8 km) in a session. See what you do. |
| 6 | Getting going: play, then tell the organiser you are coming every week. Already fit: enter a tournament or festival day with your club. | As week 5 | Put the session in your diary as a fixed appointment. |
If it goes wrong
- The first club feels cliquey or too competitive. Try another. Clubs vary a great deal, and some run separate social and competitive sessions.
- You keep breaking into a run. Everyone does. It costs a free kick and gets a laugh. It fades in a few weeks.
- A knee or ankle complains. Play half sessions for a fortnight and ask about playing on grass or a softer surface. See a GP or physiotherapist if it does not settle.
- No club near you. Age UK branches and county FAs will help you start one. Riley’s team began with one woman in a men’s side.
- You miss two weeks. Go back. The team will be pleased to see you, which is the point of a team.
Track it
| Measure | Start (week 1) | End (week 6) |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions played (count) | ||
| Minutes on the pitch per session | ||
| Steps or distance in a session | ||
| Team-mates you know by name (count) | ||
| How you feel the morning after (1–10) | ||
| Brisk walks done between sessions (count) |
What next
- Getting going? Add a second session a week, or a walk with a team-mate. Already fit? Ask your county FA or the Walking Football Association about regional and national trials for your age group.
- Take a referee or coaching course. Clubs need both, and it keeps you in the game through an injury.
- Reconnect: six weeks to a fuller social life builds on the same idea: one regular fixture with the same people.
- Read our guides to walking groups and clubs and how to get active after 50.
General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP before starting a new exercise programme.