It was the afternoon of Sunday, January 31st 2022, when Lancaster Mens’ Hub held its first 5-a-side walking football match, indoors at Cumbria University Sports Complex, on Wyresdale Road. Eleven men actually turned up, and every man had a great game.
For all of us, I think it was our first time playing walking football as such, but the rules are extremely simple: no offside, no slide tackling or any other kind of hard tackling for that matter, ball no higher than head height, and keeping one foot on the ground at all times.
This last rule did take a bit of getting used to at first! You have to really concentrate on this requirement, possibly more than on the actual ball, to begin with! There were plenty of goals scored, but never was there any unwanted sense of heavy competition. There are no set criteria for anyone to join in, but 2 factors are quite apparent: firstly, it is a much more enjoyable game for people in their senior years, whose pace has slowed down, and secondly, some players have medical conditions that would make playing flat out completely unrealistic.
We are already looking forward to our next game next Sunday. To anyone who might be interested in giving this a try, you’re most welcome. With regard to the cost, LMH will meet the price of court hire. Contributions are of course appreciated, but if you cannot afford it, simply come and play for free. Just wear trainers as footwear, and you will be given a coloured strip.
Walking football has come home to Lancaster!!