It is a new sporting discipline, coming from Great Britain, which has already spread to Flanders. In Wallonia, no team for the moment. In Brussels, since the beginning of the summer, a first team has been formed, under the wing of the Union Saint-Gilloise. The name of this sport? Football while walking. Its goal: to convince the 3 °, 4 ° or even 5 ° ages to (re) take up football. But at their own pace.
The rules are simple: short matches (2 x 12 minutes), mixed and tight teams (5 or 6 players), reduced pitches and goals and, above all, a ban. As soon as you have the ball in your foot, it is forbidden to run! (there are still a few other rules, like: the ball cannot take off more than a meter from the ground, but we thank you …).
We could fear a sport that is a little slow, bordering on boring … This is not the case: if the players have to walk once they have the ball, nothing prevents them from running in order to position themselves well. Result: a game with, of course, touching clumsiness, but also a lot of energy.
In Flanders, most of the first division clubs have their walking football team. In Brussels, the newly created team mainly brings together people who attend the Seniors department of the municipality of Forest. And the Union gives them a helping hand by providing outfits and a coach. Wouter Blockx, that’s his name, does not hide his enthusiasm: “There is a lot of willpower. There is just the notions of football that we can still improve, but that’s good, there is potential . ” A potential that transcends age limits: if the youngest player in the Union is 59, the oldest is 82 (there is Robert, 93, but he’s been playing less since he needs crutches for moving).
We understand: the players are there to have fun! If they win, that’s a plus, but it’s not essential. This does not prevent some from cheating a little. As referee Bart Devleeschouwer explains: “They run all the time. They can’t, but they do. So, if I want, I can spend the whole game whistling. But today I keep quiet. . ” This afternoon, Bart referees the first walking football tournament organized by the Union. In addition to the Brussels club, players from Oud Heverlee Leuven and those from Zulte Waregem are invited, who have found a nice team name: the Old Stars.
We won’t tell you the name of the winning team, because, quite frankly, by the end of the first game, no one was really sure if they got the score. We’ll just tell you we had a great time. And that, if your heart tells you, the Union walking football team welcome all the volunteers. You just need to want to kick the ball, to be at least 55 years old. And, above all, not to take yourself too seriously.
