Female participation in walking football can have a huge positive impact on a player’s mental and physical welfare when they are going through menopause, according to new research.
Initial studies carried out by researchers at the University of South Wales (USW) found that female players in particular believed there were ‘psychological, social, and physical benefits of being involved in walking football.’
Walking football is based on traditional association football, with the relatively new non-contact sport first played in 2011.
Physical and mental health
In the years since it was established, teams have sprung up across the UK to take part in competitions, friendlies, and non-competitive matches.
As a non-contact sport, teams can be either male or female only, or of mixed sex. For men’s teams, players must be over 50, while women’s teams can include players who are over 40. Some players compete into their 70s and 80s.
With the popularity of walking football continuing to rise, researchers at USW have been looking into the physical and mental health benefits of being involved in the game.
Master’s student Egan Goodison completed a research project as part of a collaboration with the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, an independent charity set up by the government in 1999 to support former coalfield areas which had a lack of employment opportunities, experienced high levels of poor health, and included many people with no or few qualifications.
The research project was part-funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund (ESF) as a Knowledge Exchange Skills Scholarship (KESS2).
READ MORE at source: https://nation.cymru/news/research-shows-positive-impact-of-walking-football-on-players-going-through-the-menopause/
Author: The Walking Football
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