By: Jayden Tang

Teams and leagues are emerging across the United States and in Canada. Hundreds of teams already compete in the United Kingdom, where interest soared after Barclays bank featured walking football.

Soccer is the love of Gary Clark’s life. He started playing at age 7 and represented his home country Canada at an international level.

He got injured at the age of 48 and needed a knee replacement surgery. After it was finished, he asked the doctor if he could play again and the doctor told him he could, if he wanted another knee replaced.

He joined a pick-up game and tore the cartilage in his other knee.

“There was a sense of loss at not being able to go out and partake in my passion,” said Clark, because he could not play, because soccer was a fast-paced game with lots of turns, acceleration, and deceleration, and takes a toll on the knees and ankles.

“If you quit playing and you remember how much fun you had when you were, it is a great opportunity to get back into the game,” said Naomi Johnson, a member of the Snohomish County Adult Soccer Association in Washington state.

So, he created walking soccer, a sport where you cannot run or jog, and one foot must always be on the ground. The rules are made to prioritize health and safety, so all free kicks are indirect, and the ball cannot go above the head. Tackling cannot have contact.

Most studies on walking soccer have small samples, but a 2020 review of research on the sport showed that it may have health benefits and help build social connections. A 2015 study found that in 12 weeks with 2-hour practices per week, significantly reduced body mass and body fat in 10 older men. Participants, with an average age of 66, had various health problems. The researchers found that walking soccer is safe and effective as a public health intervention for healthy people and people with medical conditions.

“It’s all about exercise, keeping fit, social inclusion,” said Graham Button, coach of England’s Seaton Carew Strollers

“After we finish playing, we go to the pub, have lunch and a couple of beers, and razz each other about the game,” said Clark,

Studies have shown that several men that were under depression played walking soccer, and they enjoyed socializing and developed friendships.

“If you quit playing and you remember how much fun you had when you were, it is a great opportunity to get back into the game,” said Naomi Johnson, a member of the Snohomish County Adult Soccer Association in Washington state.

Players have visited individuals living with dementia to chat about soccer over tea, spoken to students at schools and delivered home-cooked meals to children in need. The team also fundraisers throughout the year for organizations that help support mental health and older people.