OLDER football fans will be dusting off their boots this week and limbering up for a new type of football experience as the Walking Football phenomenon comes to town.

Walking Football is a twist on the game we all know and love, designed to make it possible for older players and the less agile to get involved and keep on playing.

The simple rule is that if you break into a run, the opposition get a free kick, so the game is built on intricate passing and speed of thought.

Age UK Mid Devon have partnered with Mid Devon District Council, Active Devon and Exeter City Football Club Football in the Community to put on the sessions at Lords Meadow Leisure Centre.

The evening sessions build on the successful launch of sessions in Uffculme and Cullompton, which have both seen players turning up week after week to enjoy a sport most thought they would never take part in again.

The players at the Uffculme session cannot speak highly enough of the sport, and the benefits that come from getting back into playing regular sport.

As regular player Bill Kelly says: “It’s liberating, to be out on the pitch, able to play once more at a level you fit in - doing something you never thought you’d be able to do again.”

Stalwart Mike Hooper adds: “We feel like new men. At the start of this some of us couldn’t even bend down to pick the ball up – now we’re moving much better and we’ve all lost weight.”

Facilitator Tony Short has also seen a huge improvement in the quality of play week on week. “It’s a different way of thinking about the game, and the passing and positioning is key to being able to get the ball quickly and easily from one end of the pitch to the other. You never really lose the skills, but you lose the speed. Taking away that factor, levels the playing field for all of us, and suddenly the leg speed doesn’t matter - it’s more about mental speed and reading the game.”

As Age UK Mid Devon Chief Officer Tim Bridger explains: "We all know there are huge health benefits that come from keeping fit and active, but many older people think that the door has shut on their days of competitive sport. This new way of playing kicks that idea into the long grass.”

The sessions are built on an ethos of support and encouragement, with a healthy dose of competitiveness, meaning that all abilities are welcome.

“I played in one game”, adds Tim. “I let in four goals, got ‘nutmegged’ by an 89-year-old, and loved every minute. I can’t wait for the next session – if they’ll have me back!”

Sessions run on Wednesdays from 6.15pm to 7.30pm at the Lords Meadow Leisure Centre.

They are run by qualified coaches from Exeter City’s Football in the Community team, who have successfully introduced the sport to other parts of Mid Devon.

Anyone over 50 can take part, and if you like it, you can even be trained up to run your own sessions in your local area. For more information, you can call Age UK Mid Devon on 01884 255 369.

Alan Quick