Walking Football Is A Real Thing That’s Just Landed In Malta And It’s As Awesomely Adorable As It Sounds
90 minutes of sprinting, shooting and jumping is enough to make even the fittest among us sweat themselves to exhaustion, but what if you still really like football? Well, it just so happens that a less-taxing (but just as awesome) alternative exists.
Walking football has arrived in Malta. But what is it?
Well, it’s actually exactly what it says on the tin.
Anthony Farrugia – the man responsible of bringing the curious sport to the islands – explained that waking football involves the same concept as regular football, with one crucial difference.
The sport is aimed specifically for those over 50 years old who still want to remain active.
A surprising amount of skill is actually required to be competent in the game, as you need to adapt to the varying tempo as rushing is avoided.
There are a few new rules which include running being a foul (think of it as jogging meets power walking instead) and making sure that the ball cannot exceed head height, not to mention other rules like there being strictly no tackling allowed.
When asked why he started this in Malta, Anthony stated that he doesn’t like jogging but likes having a kick-about with the ball. “I saw the sport which is popular in the UK and I wanted to bring it here in Malta to increase my activity,” he told Lovin Malta.
As long as you are over 50 years old, everyone is welcome to join their 5 or 7 a-side game which is held every Thursday in Luxol. In fact, in one of the team’s group shots, the caption reads that the first group – aptly named Il-Pijunieri (the pioneers) – are looking for other teams to take on.
In the future, Anthony hopes to host tournaments with big crowds. Keep up with The Pioneers – and their future competition – right here.