By: Jasmine Jiang

Gary Clark started playing soccer at age seven and continued the game for over 40 years. However, when he was 48 years old, he suffered a knee injury which prevented him from playing any longer. This was one of the main reasons that led to the famous walking soccer being created in 2011 by John Croot.

Since soccer is a fast-paced and action-packed sport, people who have suffered injuries will most likely not be able to participate, just like Gary.

“There was a sense of loss at not being able to go out and partake in my passion,” said Clark, now 68, “And I knew that if I tried, I would injure myself again.”

Walking soccer became very popular as people above the age of 50 could play and have a low risk of injuring themselves. It became popular for people who had already retired from soccer. Now there are more than 600 walking soccer clubs for men and women in only Britain itself (Washington Post, 2023). The sport is now played in over 1,200 clubs and locations, with an estimated 40,000 regular players. (Walking Football Association, 2023).

Walking soccer can have many health benefits for the elderly, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke while improving blood pressure (The Walking Football Association, 2023).

Not only is walking soccer beneficial for physical health, but also mental health by building people’s confidence to give them a platform to meet new people and avoiding feelings of isolation and loneliness (Blackpool F.C Community Trust, 2023).