Take the Walking Football challenge

Twenty minutes into a game on the astroturf at PlayFootball in Clifton Moor I was beginning to realise.

There were about eight of us on each team – blues against pinks.

Most of my team-mates were in their 60s or 70s which meant that, at 57, I was the youngster. But these guys (and girls: this was a mixed session) took their football seriously, walking or not. And they could really play ...

There were crisp, clean passes; crunching tackles (though the men, it must be said, were real gentlemen when it came to tackling the women); and some real dead-eyed skills in front of goal.

And there was a lot of ground to cover. Running might be forbidden in Walking Football – but it is amazing how fast you can walk when the ball has been passed deep into your own half and you’re the only person with any hope of reaching it ahead of the striker poised on the edge of the D.

I was soon blowing hard and wondering when the whistle for half time was going to blow. By the time it did, I was shattered – chest heaving, legs like jelly – but also glowing with elation. Walking Football, I realised, was great.

Goal! Sadly, it was disallowed, for walking in the opposition area

The York City Football Club Foundation runs three Walking Football sessions each week in York: a mixed group on Monday from 10am to 11am; a women-only group on Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 7pm; and another mixed group on Thursday evening from 6pm to 7pm.

For those of a certain age it was a great way to get out, meet people, have fun and get fit, Paula Stainton, the York City Football Club Foundation manager, told me. Why didn’t I give it a try? Just come along ...

So I did. I dug out some old trainers, a pair of combat trousers, and a paint stained sweatshirt, and before I knew it there we all were doing warm-up exercises on the astroturf under the watchful eye of coach Mark Sherwood. He had us skipping in circles, bending to touch footballs on the pitch, and generally using muscles I’d forgotten I had.

And then the game began. We were divided into two teams, one with blue bibs, one with pink. My team, the blues, raced quickly into a 2-0 lead – largely thanks to the efforts of Jane ‘Rooney’, our genial, grey-haired striker who loitered on the edge of the opposition D and pounced on any loose balls with the alacrity and accuracy of a panther.

She scored two and almost got a third while I was still puffing around from front to back of the pitch trying to work out my best position.

I eventually settled on striker, because it involved less running (sorry, walking). And then, joy! I connected with a cross, whacked the ball into the back of the net, and wheeled away in triumph. It took me a few seconds to realise that instead of us being awarded a goal, the Pinks had been given a free-kick instead. Goal disallowed. I was inside the D.

Steve flat on his face after a crunching tackle

I decided to become a midfield general instead, disguising my panic whenever the ball came to me by pretending I’d intended that flick on, and deserved the calls of ‘good ball, Steve!’ from a team-mate. I put in a couple of crunching tackles, too, one of which ended with me flat on my face on the turf.

But it was all great fun, played in a wonderful spirit.

The Blues had gone in to half-time still 2-0 up, but when play resumed after a short breather the Pinks were quickly back in it, scoring twice following some quick, clean passing moves, then a third time to take the lead.

We equalised, then the score went to 4-4 – and somewhere towards the end, I think the Blues scored again to take the game 5-4. By this time I was puffing so hard I couldn’t be sure. But it didn’t matter. It had been brilliant fun. There were high fives all around when the game finished.

Dave Liptrot, up from the youth team, on the ball...

Afterwards, I chatted to a few regulars. Retired plumber Ken Halstead, 72, had only been playing for four weeks. Until then, it had been about 50 years since he had kicked a ball in anger, he admitted. But he’d had a knee replacement in December, had wanted to find something to get a bit of weight off, and had seen an advert in The Press for Walking Football. So here he was.

It was brilliant fun, he admitted. “It’s like getting your youth back. And I’ve met some really nice people!”

Dave Liptrot owned up to being 63. “He’s come up from the youth side!” quipped Ken, cheerfully. A teacher who had worked all around the world, Dave had played football for local pub and club teams all his life until snapping his Achilles tendon about ten years ago.

He, too, had only been playing Walking Football a few weeks, he admitted. But he loved it. “When the ball comes to me, or I get a good pass, I get this real buzz. It’s so satisfying.”

Tania Dickinson, 70, waxed most poetical, though.

She’d been playing Walking Football ever since the York City Foundation started offering the sessions, the retired archaeology lecturer said – and it was the fulfilment of a dream.

“I was one of that generation of women who weren’t allowed to play football at school, even though I was one of the best in my junior school. That rankled. Then by the time women’s football got started I was too old.”

Playing in a mixed team with the men was terrific, she said. “They are very generous!” But it was the teamwork she loved most. “I really understand now why they call it the beautiful game. When you manage to put together a sequence of fast passes, the sense of achievement is just brilliant. It’s beautiful.”

So it is.

Blues and pinks united: the teams gather for a group photo after the game

Walking Football in York

The York City Football Club Foundation runs three Walking Football sessions a week in York:

• Monday 10am to 11am, at Play Football in Clifton Moor for the next couple of weeks, then from November 28 at the Burnholme Community Hub. Mixed group
• Wednesday 6pm to 7pm, Huntington School. Women only
• Thursday 6pm to 7pm, Canon Lee School. Mixed group

The cost is £5 a session, and there’s no need to book, says Paula Stainton, the York City Football Club Foundation manager – just turn up on the day. But if you want to find out more in advance, email community@yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk or phone the foundation on 01904 559508.

There’s no age limit, says Paula – but they’re ideal for anyone over 50, or who is recovering from an injury, operation or illness. “It’s a great way of getting some exercise, getting fit, meeting people and making friends.”

THE RULES OF WALKING FOOTBALL

• No running! 
• Minimal physical contact 
• Ball must not go over head height
• Players must not go in the goalkeeper's area
• Goalkeepers mucan only roll the ball out of the area - no overarm throws allowed

York City Football Club Foundation

The foundation is a charity which runs football-related activities and coaching across York and throughout the wider area.

Activities include:

• City Kickabout: weekly evening sessions for young people aged 11 to 25, held at venues across the city, including Huntington, Tang Hall, Clifton, Strensall, Acomb, Fulford, Haxby and, slightly further afield, Tadcaster.
• City Girls: fun fitness training sessions at schools and other educational institutions for girls aged five up to young adults
• York City Regional Talent Club: FA-funded elite training for girls and young women who want to take their football seriously. The girls of the York City Foundation RTC will be right up there in tier one of the programme alongside girls from clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
• In-school coaching programmes
• City Inclusive. A range of programmes, including:

- Walking Football

- DS Yorkies: Monday evening sessions during term-time for children aged eight to 16 with Downs Syndrome

- York City Inclusive Juniors: Fun Sunday afternoon sessions for young people with mild learning difficulties

- Football therapy: Football-related activities as therapy for adults recovering from mental health illnesses.

To find out more abut the work of the foundation, visit yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk/club/community/