New Walking Football Toolkit available
Monday, September 30, 2024
Article summary
We're proud to empower football organisations to engage older people in football and encourage an active lifestyle at all ages with the launch of new walking football resources.
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In celebration of the International Day of Older Persons, UEFA announces the launch of the Walking Football Toolkit – a comprehensive resource designed to help national associations, leagues, clubs and local organisations enhance the health of older people and support the growth of walking football and physical activity more broadly.
The toolkit is divided into three key documents:
• A main document covers essential topics such as the benefits of walking football, characteristics of older participants, roles of the different people involved, and medical recommendations to ensure participant safety.
• A second document provides forms, suggested training sessions, and checklists for “recreational play”. This guidance on recreational walking football highlights flexibility as a fundamental principle in non-competitive settings, enabling organisations to adapt activities to meet their local context, and participants’ needs and preferences.
• A third document outlines the “competitive play” with the Laws of the Game for those interested in a structured, competitive approach.
This launch reflects UEFA’s commitment to promote active aging. By distributing this toolkit and involving older people in football, we aim to better serve our stakeholders, fostering community engagement and using football as a platform for social integration.
We encourage football organisations to use this toolkit to build strong walking football activities, offering older adults safe and enjoyable opportunities to stay active and connected.
Making football accessible for everyone regardless of their age is a key goal of UEFA Football Sustainability Strategy 2030, embodied in its health and well-being policy. By 2027, we would like 60% of our 55 member associations to be delivering football activities that specifically support the needs of older people.
Join the movement and download the UEFA Walking Football Toolkit.
