Saskatoon walking soccer program brings exercise at a low-impact pace
Walking soccer a more accessible version of its faster-paced parent
If there's a highlight reel goal, you likely won't need to watch it in slow motion.
But that doesn't mean the players aren't competitive.
More than a dozen walking soccer players move around the pitch at the Saskatoon Sports Centre as fast as they can without breaking into a run.
"Unfortunately, for guys that have played the game for year,s and ladies that have played the game for years, it's difficult to just walk," said David Taylor, 78, one of the player-organizers of Saskatoon's drop-in walking soccer program.
Most of the players who show up to the drop-in program are retired — though there are some younger players — but old age hasn't worn down their grit.
As Taylor spoke with CBC, people scurried around the pitch behind him at the quickest pace allowed and yelled orders to their teammates.
"One of the major differences is that when you pass a ball in regular soccer you pass it in front of the person, probably two or three feet sometimes, so they can run onto it. In walking soccer, you pass to their feet because you can't get to it otherwise," said Taylor.
There are some other rule changes from traditional soccer, beyond walking: the ball has to stay below the shoulders, the net is much smaller net and goalies must stay within a semi-circle zone that surrounds the net.
For now, walking soccer is just a drop-in program in Saskatoon. In other cities across Canada, like Lethbridge, Alta., or Guelph, Ont., the lower-impact sport has developed into leagues.
Taylor said he's hoping to expand the sport and bring in more women, who make up a relatively small portion of players.
Jodi Blackwell, CEO of the Saskatoon Soccer Centre, said the drop-in program was developed to feed the interest of people who had heard of the sport, but never played it.
Blackwell said the end goal is to have a structured league.
While the Saskatoon program has been operating for about four years, the national Canadian Walking Soccer Association (CWSA) has only been active for about two.
Bilal Sami, director at the CWSA, said it began as a passion project to bring together isolated leagues across the country under one banner.
He said the sport has grown in the past decade, especially in Europe and the United Kingdom where there's a more established club system. In 2023, the CWSA organized a team to compete in the World Nations Cup, held by the Federation of International Walking Football Associations. It only had two months to prepare and placed fourth among about 12 teams.
"When we went, we didn't even know if we'd score a goal. We ended up scoring a lot of goals," he said.
Sami said there has been a growing interest in soccer and walking soccer provides that outlet to play for seniors and people with mobility issues.
"I know personal stories, even from players who played on the World Cup team, who have had procedures and surgeries that, at the time, they felt like they may not even be able to walk again," Sami said.
Sami said several hundred people are playing in leagues across Canada.
One of the CWSA's goals is to host a national tournament with clubs and enthusiasts from across the country.
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