Innsbruck walking football group aims to ease loneliness

A new walking football group in Innsbruck is offering a way to stay active and meet others, including people in older age, ORF Tirol reports. Running and physical contact are banned, and the group aims to grow.

The players meet every Tuesday at the Besele football pitch. Their average age is over 65, though people of all ages take part, and women and men play together. One participant said the slower pace suited her after a neurological incident, as she had been advised not to run and wanted to keep her pulse under control.

Herbert Rieder, a 70-year-old football enthusiast from Innsbruck, brought the sport to Tirol and helped establish the group with SK Wilten, the ASKÖ sports association and the Tirol Pensioners’ Association. SK Wilten and ASKÖ provide the pitch and equipment free of charge.

Rieder learned about walking football through teams and organisations elsewhere in Austria and Europe. He said the sport could suit older people, those with limited mobility and people who no longer feel fit enough to play regular football.

Former footballer and sports official Alfred Triendl joined as a co-trainer. He said the oldest participant so far was 88 and that players take part at their own pace. The rules prohibit running, tackling and other physical contact, and the ball may not be played above hip height. Following the no-running rule can be difficult, participants say, and often prompts a laugh.