Hills Football Walking Football League allows players who are still passionate about the beautiful game to stay active, remain included in a team or community and engage in a weekly social activity even when the demands of a traditional 11 vs 11 game become too demanding for the players.
“We see a massive drop off once players get to that age of 45, particularly those who have had significant injuries. They drop off, and they stop playing the game.” Hills Football Head of Operations Nikki Riddle said.
“The idea is similar to younger age groups. We need to have opportunities for players to continue to keep playing at a level where they feel most comfortable.”
Offered as the next level after the Over 45 competition, the Walking Football League is designed to be a mixed gender non-competitive league with no ladders or finals, rather focusing on being inclusive, social and flexible. Ensuring that players are playing for the entire 18-week season, with games altered to best suit the number of players for that weekend.
“Some weeks, you could play like a 4V4 or 5V5 format with small goals and no goalkeepers. But then if you get like 30 people to show up, then you can expand it out to play like a 9V9 type format,” Riddle said.
“It just depends on the number of people that attend, and when it’s a larger-scale game, the goal size gets bigger, which then incorporates goalkeepers. We mostly try to aim for a 7v7 type game with goalkeepers.”
Driven and run solely by the Kenthurst & District Football Club for several seasons, the Walking Football League has seen steady growth with more players and clubs recognising the importance of this style of football and what it could offer for the club’s community.
In the initial stages of the league, players would travel to Kenthurst Park and play their weekly Sunday games against fellow in-house teams. Though now with Baulkham Hills and Hills Spirit offering and supporting a walking team, the league can expand, and players are able to travel to different grounds, giving the league the feel of a traditional football competition.
“This season is the first season we’ve had two other clubs get involved in. We would like to see it grow to a point where it will be [club versus club, rather than in-house teams versus each other],” Riddle said.
“What we want it to be is that those players who are playing in the over 45 or the over 55 competitions, we don’t want them feeling like they have to drop out of the game from their club. Once their time finishes, we want them to feel like they have somewhere to go.”
The social aspect of the Walking League is arguably the most beneficial aspect of the league, alongside staying active. Allowing players who may have retired or are searching for a community to belong to, a chance to find like-minded people of the same age and experiences to catch up with weekly.
“What started as a really small group of people has grown to be something much larger, and they have their own little WhatsApp groups, and they all catch up separately,” Riddle said.
“It’s really built this community of people going through a similar stage of life who are bonding over a joint love of just playing sport, being outside and being active.
If you or someone you know is interested in signing up or learning more about the Walking Football League, you can find out more information on the Hills Football website at https://hillsfootball.com.au/walking-football-2/ or by speaking to your local club officials.
