WALKING football is a much faster game than its name might suggest.
That is the key takeaway from a Friday match at the Saddleworth Walking Football Club, where more than 70 members are united by a common goal – seeing how fast they can go when the referee’s not looking.
Twice a week, up to 20 men and women gather in the fields at Saddleworth Leisure Centre for a kickabout and cuppa.
Most are above the age of 60, though the club attracts members from all age groups. The eldest, Keith, is 75 – but that does not stop the referee from scolding him for speeding.
The whistle blows, they are off again, battling the ball through sheets of rain and hail. One man slips. Another limps offside with an injury. Then there’s a kick-off: the teams aren’t even. Whistle. Restart. Then a whistle again: “You all need to bloody slow down!”
Six months after breaking from the Moston Brook Walking Club, the Saddleworth team has only grown steadily in number. Before then, they had been at the Irish Centre, and before that, the Oldham Leisure Centre.
It had been convenient for organiser Patrick ‘Paddy’ Curly. It is now 13 years since he had heart surgery at the Royal Oldham Hospital, where the idea of a slower-paced football was first suggested as part of his rehab.
“We started at Oldham in 2013, and there were about 10 or 12 of us,” he says. “Then we moved to the new leisure centre, and when Covid came along and we had to play outside, one of the lads played for Moston Brook Football Club – so we all joined Moston Brook.
“It was at Christmas we decided to break from Moston Brook and become Saddleworth Walking Football, so we’re only six months old, really.”
The group’s rules are simple.
“There’s no tackling,” Paddy adds. “No tackling from behind, no slide tackling, no contact, and if possible, no running.
“Four offences of running is a penalty.”
Now with 70 people signed up to the group, Saddleworth Walking Football is highlighting the upward swing in older adults taking part in sports.
With more than 64 per cent of over-55s now considered ‘physically active’ according to Sport England, it is clear accessible sports like walking football are here to stay – particularly as levels of loneliness remain higher than they were pre-pandemic.
So says player Amon Keane, who has been with the group long enough “to lose track”.
As well as leading the team’s pre-match warm-ups, he is the so-called expert of the group’s social sides – namely, their post-match pop up café and summer and winter get-togethers.
“People get more than just the physical exercise out of it,” he says. “They’re finding some companionship within the social side of it.
“I think the appeal is that it’s something that’s good for your health, it’s some activity, some exercise – but really, it’s just fun playing a game, isn’t it? Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy doing that.
“The club’s been really successful, and it’s really valued by everyone that’s become part of it. It’s more than just football; it’s a social group, and you can see how much people enjoy it.”
Though dominated by older players for now, it is a stance equally shared by some of the team’s younger players, too.
“I really enjoy playing with Saddleworth Walking Football,” says 20-year-old player Grace. “It’s a great way to stay active and socialise whilst improving my football ability. It’s a great group who are really welcoming regardless of age or ability.”
Looking ahead, the team is excited to continue welcoming more members keen to take part – particularly as they prepare to debut their brand-new sponsored kit.
Created by EV2 Sportswear, the new kits are fully reversible in the red and white team colours, which represent the roses of Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The new kits were sponsored by four Saddleworth companies: The Roger Tanner Trust; One Four Nine Wealth; Morgan Ward; and The Hare and Hounds Uppermill.
“We got sponsorship for £1,100, and the players paid a tenner, so it paid for itself,” Paddy told Saddleworth Independent. “We’ve actually sold 50 shirts!
“[The whole team] is membership based, £5 a session. We have capacity for more games, and as people retire, they’re invited to come if they want.
“We all come here, have a brew, have a chat, and off you go – there’s a social side to it, as well as the physical keeping fit side. We’re going from strength to strength.”
The Saddleworth Walking Football Club meets at the Saddleworth Leisure Centre every Monday at 11.30am and every Friday at 12pm.
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