Walking soccer tournament kicks off in Stratford to promote fitness with seniors, youth

Peter Mitchell, pictured here at Festival Hydro Park, organized Stratford’s first walking soccer tournament on Sept. 20.

No running, no contact, no problem. Stratford’s walking soccer tournament is showing how the game can level the playing field for players of all ages, from youth to those in their 80s.

Stratford hosted a free, family-friendly walking soccer event on Sept. 20 at Festival Hydro Park. Peter Mitchell, tournament organizer, said that the no-contact sport offers health benefits for older adults, including improved mobility, reduced stress and lower risks of cardiovascular disease, while fostering social connections.

“I’ve played soccer my whole life. I’ve coached, I’ve refereed. Walking soccer is easy to pick up and we have seen improvement from everybody in our play of the sport. … It’s very rewarding and it keeps your fit,” said Mitchell. “We play for an hour and it does not sound very long but it very much is. We are going as fast as we can. It’s very different from regular soccer. We are walking three times the normal speed.” 

Mitchell, who has been hosting pick-up walking soccer matches for the last four years, says that Saturday's tournament was an event that was meant to spread awareness of the sport. The game is mostly aimed for seniors but welcomes youth as well. 

“We want to showcase what this activity actually is. When you play walking soccer something interesting happens for me,” said Mitchell. “My heartbeat gets up 20 beats more than regular soccer throughout the whole hour and our other teammates have said the same thing.

“Intensive walking is fantastic on the body as opposed to running. You have to be very careful when you first come out, if you have not played for a while you have to take it easy at first.” 

Mitchell stated that people are unaware of the sport but as soon as they find out what it is, there is a drawn interest. He adds that the sport is suitable for all ages. Mitchell says that there are players in their 70s and 80s that are playing it. 

Saturday’s first tournament featured a demonstration from a kinesiologist on how to do proper warm-ups as well as relaxing methods for post games. 

“For this event we are getting close to the international side of pitches at Cowan Turf. We play indoors and have been doing it for four years,” said Mitchell. “This is a special event for awareness, it's very promotional, we were able to procure a grant from the Ontario government to promote physical activity for seniors.”