At 81, Peter Denby thought his many decades of playing soccer might be coming to a close.

“I was getting to the point where running was more difficult for me, so I was looking for something else to do,” said Denby, who had been playing soccer since he was 10.

So when he heard from a friend in Parksville about a new sport known as walking soccer that was taking off in Europe, Denby decided to set up a league in Victoria.

Walking soccer, as the name suggests, is a slower version of the standard game. Players aren’t allowed to run — one foot has to be firmly on the ground at all times — and no contact is allowed between players.

Sometimes there’s a referee to enforce the rules, but often the game is self-refereed, Denby said, leading to the occasional shout accusing someone of running.

If someone runs too much, they might be made to play goalkeeper for five minutes as a punishment, Denby said.

At 81, Peter Denby thought his many decades of playing soccer might be coming to a close.
“I was getting to the point where running was more difficult for me, so I was looking for something else to do,” said Denby, who had been playing soccer since he was 10.
So when he heard from a friend in Parksville about a new sport known as walking soccer that was taking off in Europe, Denby decided to set up a league in Victoria. — Pic credit: Darren Stone, Times Colonist

Denby’s group attracts people from their 50s to their 80s who have mobility challenges that make running difficult, as well as players who are injured who come as a sort of rehab to ease back into the running version of the game. The group has also welcomed people who have never played soccer.

They play co-ed games at Hampton Park on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The field is smaller than a regulation soccer field, and they play with up to nine people per side, depending on the turnout.

Seven or eight per side is the sweet spot, Denby said.

Denby is hoping to grow the sport in Victoria, where many soccer players keep playing the running version well into their later years.

“The idea is to allow people the opportunity to play soccer until they simply can’t anymore,” Hoogendoorn said.

Anyone interested in joining can visit the South Vancouver Island Classics’ Soccer Association’s website and look for walking soccer.

FULL STORY at source: https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/walking-soccer-keeps-aging-and-injured-players-in-the-game-11878076