A walking football pilot programme between Parkinson’s UK and the Walking Football Association (WFA) is helping people living with Parkinson’s across the West Midlands to enjoy accessible walking football in a fun and social way.
As Europe prepares for Euro 2024 in June, people living with Parkinson’s in the West Midlands have already been sampling the benefits of playing walking football and helping each other to live well with the condition.
Since its launch in February 2023, 15 football clubs and grassroots football teams from across England have benefitted from almost £6,000 in grant funding to help more walking football projects to get off the ground and help more people with Parkinson’s to get active in a fun and social way.
More than 100 new Parkinson’s walking footballers have taken up the sport since the investment from Parkinson’s UK and the WFA first started.
It is hoped that many more people will be able to experience the benefits of walking football in the future…
Annie Booth was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2022 and started playing walking football in the same year. Talking about the experience of playing for her local club, Annie said:
“I was 54, I had Parkinson’s and in a bid to manage my condition-induced apathy, it was time to try something new. Keeping active was always my way to fight the ‘apathy beast’ but it was becoming more challenging to do it on my own, that was until I found out about walking football.
“Being part of a new team at Northern Lights Walking Football was something special and I will always be grateful to those who encouraged me to keep trying. In July 2022, I was the first woman to be selected for the England Parkinson’s Walking Football team.”
To learn more about the benefits of walking football visit https://thewfa.co.uk/walking-football-impairment/
FULL STORY at source: https://www.birminghamworld.uk/community/the-walking-football-association-helps-west-midlands-parkinsons-community-get-active-for-summer-4629397
FIND impairment Walking Football HERE: https://walkingfootball.com
Author: The Walking Football
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