doOn an October afternoon, about fifteen of them stepped onto the grass of the Dalmasso stadium, on the grounds of the International University City of Paris. Women and men between 30 and 67 years old pass a soccer ball to each other. They don’t run, they walk. On the field of play there are not eleven players but five. The session, led by Matthieu Benadon, walking football instructor for the Parisian club Pitrey Ollier (PO), begins with a warm-up. Then the games take place on smaller fields.
“Walking football” was created in 2011 in England to help older people stay active. In this other version of the beautiful sport, the rules are different. No runs are allowed – under penalty of granting a free throw –, no tackles or close physical contact. “We cannot dribble, it is about passing and moving players to deceive the opponent”explains Matthieu Benadon. “They are all there, those who have good technique and those who just want to hit the ball for pleasure and health”the coach continues.
Alain, now 63 years old and who played football for many years, says “I can no longer run due to cardiorespiratory problems”. “This sport allows me to rediscover the fun sensations of classic football without getting hit and that feels good”Alain is happy. Pascal is accompanied by his wife, Angela, a former high-level player but who, due to a torn cruciate ligament, can no longer play football.
At the origin of the PO’s walking football section, which has fifteen members, Pierre de Rauglaudre discovered “walking football” in 2019, during a match in Derby (England). Conquered, this former manager created, at the beginning of 2020, the French Football Federation in Marchant, of which he is president. Since then he has traveled throughout France. “Today the association has a hundred member clubs, that is, about 1,500 practitioners in France”. Their goal: to create other clubs to continue organizing tournaments. “The main target is rather people between 55 and 65 years old, the age at which we may have a tendency to let go, to no longer do sports activities and when we are afraid of getting injured.” underlines Pierre de Rauglaudre.
“Social aspect”
If the scientific literature is not yet very well founded regarding the effects of this practice, “study report a moderate intensity, sometimes strong, because you have to be in constant movement”explains Mélanie Boithias, a doctoral student at the Jean-Monnet University of Saint-Etienne, who is working, as part of her thesis, on the physiological and psychological effects of walking football for people aged 60 to 80.
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