WINTERBURN: How do you extend your playing career? Walking soccer | OS CREATOR SPOTLIGHT

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We all plan to play soccer forever.

That’s why we ignore obvious warning signs – the lost step, nagging pains, serious injuries, and even doctors’ orders – to soldier on from one match to the next.

The morning after a game, while washing down a Tylenol and putting smelly ointments on those aching muscles, we wonder if there is a cheat code to keep playing, but with less stress on the joints.

That’s where walking soccer comes in.

It has a rule borrowed from Olympic racewalking – players must move with one foot in contact with the pitch at all times.

The result is a tactical game that rewards passing, positioning, and finishing technique.

“Many people play both running soccer and also walking soccer because they like this adaptation,” said Toronto Walking Soccer Club (TWSC) founder Kerrin Hands.

This new alternative has a place for everyone from beginners to experienced players.

“Walking soccer levels the playing field and everybody enjoys the game,” Hands added.

Sixteen clubs are registered across Canada, and in May, UEFA hosted the Walking Football Cup at its headquarters in Switzerland.

Helen Stoumbos and The Good Games

The first-ever competitive tournament in Ontario saw the Stratford Sloths outlasting TWSC, the Oakville Wild Walkers and Sarnia Warriors in Guelph on July 6, as part of the Good Games, a multi-sport festival.

“I feel like walking soccer is where pickleball was in 2019,” said Helen Stoumbos, the event’s CEO and a Canadian Soccer Hall of Famer. “It's popular and it’s obviously growing.”

Stoumbos made FIFA history in 1995. Her famous goal – straight from a corner kick against England’s Hope Powell – was the first for Canada in a World Cup. 

Four years later, her career was cut short by injury and she sees the potential in walking soccer for people in a similar situation.

“I injured my knee and had surgery and a partial replacement,” she said. “When I heard about walking soccer I thought, ‘Whoa, that's something I could do.’

“Anyone can still participate by playing smart ball and enjoying the beauty of the game.”

Stoumbos was drawn to the tactical nature of walking soccer. “It's more strategic because you have to be sure of which players are in position as you get the ball,” she said.

By including it in the Good Games, Stoumbos intended to show people who are still playing full-speed games that walking soccer can be a welcome addition to their fitness routines.

Faisal Ahmed, mixing walking and running

One of the TWSC players, Faisal Ahmed, 56, often plays twice over the course of a weekend – walking soccer on Saturday and a league match with running and full tackles on Sunday. 

He contrasts the sustainability of walking soccer with the constant loss of Sunday league players to injury.

“We're talking twisted, swollen ankles, tears across the back and they're not just self-inflicted, but because of tackles as well,” Ahmed said.

On the other hand, walking soccer rules encourage positive football by prohibiting body contact. They remove sliding tackles, challenges from behind, high kicks, and outfield players from the goal crease. With no offsides or back-pass calls, the walking game emphasizes movement off the ball to maintain a surprisingly quick pace of play.

“Walking soccer gives you the fitness benefits without the risks – you know you are going to come back to play next week,” he said.

Ahmed, a system technologist, has data to show the cardiovascular benefits of walking soccer. Three years after undergoing triple-bypass heart surgery, he checks the heart rate numbers on his watch after every game.

He noticed that while walking soccer does not have the intensity spikes that come with sprints, it also has fewer stoppages, leading to a more constant workout.

“In walking soccer the field is smaller, the teams are smaller, and you're constantly moving, so you don't have time to pause,” Ahmed said. “If you're playing for 60 minutes, you're definitely in the fat-burning zone for about 60 minutes.”

Describing himself as an average player, Ahmed appreciates the welcoming culture of the Toronto club. The mix includes players like him (and the author) who started playing regularly as adults, others who were coached from a young age, and even former professionals.

Aidan Butterworth, a pro’s perspective

On Oct. 31, 1981, Aidan Butterworth headed in the winning goal for his hometown team in England’s old First Division – Leeds United.

A week before his 20th birthday, the date marked his first start with the first team. He scored on Nottingham Forest’s Peter Shilton who, at the time, was also England’s number one.

Seven days later, he followed that up with his second goal, inspiring the Elland Road faithful to serenade Butterworth with a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday.

He went on to be the club’s top scorer in 1982-83 and was associated with Leeds for five years.

Married to a Canadian, he moved to Toronto in 2010. Now, in addition to playing, he leads TWSC players through their warm-ups and the occasional practice session.

After a double hip replacement and two right knee replacements, he is done with competitive football but still enjoys Saturday mornings on the pitch with the walking soccer club.

“It's being part of something, and part of something pretty special, really,” Butterworth said.

With walking soccer rules rewarding effective passes, Butterworth sees a game where all the players are involved.

“I think the great thing is, regardless of anyone's ability, you'll always pass the ball to them if they are in space,” he said. “It is not about winning; it's about being with good people.”

In Butterworth’s native England, the game was launched in 2011 and interest was boosted by a 2014 Barclay's ad. Manchester City became the first Premier League club to host walking football sessions in the following year.

Today, an estimated 200,000 people are playing in England and, in a great example of history repeating itself, Brits are spreading the game to other countries.

Kerrin Hands, an evangelist for walking soccer

Hands first played walking soccer with a mix of locals and expats from the UK and Europe while on vacation in Torrox, Spain, near the famous Mediterranean Costa del Sol.

“I was hooked immediately,” he recalled. “It didn’t feel like a compromise on the running game because of the very tactical passing.”

A native of London, England, Hands brought walking soccer back to Toronto, where he has lived since 2006, to share the game’s health benefits.

“Compared to running, there’s less pounding on the joints,” he said. “It’s a lot more gentle on your knees, while still building muscle, and it’s a robust cardio sport. 

“Even my upper body gets a workout as my arms pump through the racewalking motion.”

He founded TWSC in May 2023 with an initial core group that had been playing soccer together for years. A graphic designer, he created the TWSC “Loons” badge for the club’s tournament uniform.

Now 56 years old, Hands played competitive soccer from age 8 to 38 (when his son was born). He scored at Wembley Stadium, for the staff team while working there, designing matchday programmes.

Hands also played at Old Manorians FC in North Wembley.

“In the 90s, the first team was one of the better amateur sides in London,” Hands said, while noting the club had room for players with a range of skill levels, including an eighth team.

With TWSC, he is building a club where there is a place for everybody in twice-weekly practice games, with the occasional intramural tournament and matches against other clubs also providing more competition. 

Regardless of skill level, the players all take the game seriously.

"Even though we are a recreational soccer group, everyone plays to the best of their abilities, and we compete in a friendly manner, creating a wonderful environment to enjoy the walking version of the beautiful game,” he said. “It's all in your mind whether you are competitive – more than how good your game is.”

Hands works walking soccer into his vacations, having played in the UK, Morocco and, after that first time in Torrox, with several more clubs in Spain. This gives him a benchmark for the Toronto club’s quality.

“On the Loons, we have some very, very good players, and if we were to go Europe or England for tournaments, we would compete for sure,” Hands said.

Building the right culture is Hands priority.

“Whether you're a better player, or you’ve never kicked the ball before, everyone gets along well because we have a very positive and welcoming atmosphere,” he said.

That friendly approach is bringing in new members.

Alejandro Lynch and Elisabeth Peters, playing together

Elisabeth Peters, 64, saw the Loons playing while she walked a dog through a park in Toronto’s east end.

“I had never seen that game before,” she recalled. “It looked familiar, but it was something different.”

A quick sideline conversation sold her on the game, but the challenge would come in convincing her husband to come along.

“I said no and then she insisted, and I said, ‘OK, let's give it a try,’” recalled Alejandro Lynch, 67. “So, a couple of weeks later, we went, and I really enjoyed it.”

A native of Argentina who works in IT, Lynch says he has been playing soccer practically since birth.

“I think it's a great way to stay playing a game that I’ve played all my life.”

Peters, a school librarian who came to Canada from France, has not been playing quite as long. She took up soccer in her 40s.

Along with cycling, walking soccer is one more activity they can do together as they reach their retirement years, but they were not the only family pairing at the Good Games.

Peter and Celeste Mitchell, finally teammates

The winning Stratford club was led by Peter Mitchell, 66, who coached his daughter, Celeste Mitchell, 46, for many years. Now, walking soccer allows them to be teammates.

When asked about how Peter handles those two roles, Celeste said, “It’s very similar,” with a big smile. “You can't take the coach out of the player,” she added.

On any given week they could line up on the same side or play against each other, making for an interesting match-up as they are both central midfielders with similar styles.

“It's the most fun I've had through nearly 67 years playing football,” Peter said.

Frank Van Kempen, playing at 90

Adding to the intergenerational mix at the Good Games was 90-year-old Frank Van Kempen of the Sarnia Warriors. His fitness regime also includes dancing twice a week and playing golf.

“My doctors say I’m the healthiest, oldest patient they’ve got,” Van Kempen said.

He learned to play soccer in the Netherlands – and even received some coaching from AFC Ajax – before his family moved to Canada in 1948. He says it was a challenge to find a game in the 1950s, so when he joined the Sarnia club in 2018, it was his first time playing regularly in 70 years, but he was ready for it.

“I worked in the hotel and restaurant business for 50 years and I was always on my feet, so my legs are in pretty good shape,” Van Kempen said. “I keep my body active.”

Van Kempen appreciates the group’s camaraderie. 

“It’s a lot of fun and we all have a good relationship, except they are all 15, 25 years younger than me,” he said with a laugh.

Bill Docherty, representing Canada

At the Good Games, the Oakville Wild Walkers benefitted from past tournament experience. The club has five members of the Canadian over-60 team from last year’s World Nations Cup.

It was held in England at the Football Association's St. George’s Park, where the Three Lions and Lionesses squads train.

“We played in an unbelievable £105 million facility, and even sat in the England dressing room as if we were with Harry Kane,” said Oakville’s Bill Docherty, 64. “It was like being a 15-year-old kid again.”

Canada was the Cinderella team of the tournament, exceeding all expectations to reach the knockout stage and finish fourth.

“There was nobody more surprised than us,” said Docherty, who was taking time off from his job as a technical recruiter.

The Canucks beat Northern Ireland in the quarter-finals before losing to England, the eventual champions.

Pat Brody, also from the Oakville club, led the way with eight goals and George Lubberts of Lethbridge, Alberta won the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper Award.

When the team first gathered, only two days before the tournament, it was a challenge to find tactics that matched the occasion. “For walking soccer, all we had ever played was recreational,” Docherty said.

The Good Games and other tournaments will help to broaden the experience of Canadian players, as walking soccer grows to meet the needs of both recreational and competitive players.

To learn more, please visit the Canadian Walking Soccer Association or the Toronto Walking Soccer Club.

Photo credits: torontowalkingsoccer.com