The Walking Football Association helps West Midlands Parkinson’s community get active for summer

As Europe prepares for Euro 2024 in June, people living with Parkinson’s in the West Midlands have already been sampling the benefits of playing walking football and helping each other to live well with the condition.

Since its launch in February 2023, 15 football clubs and grassroots football teams from across England have benefitted from almost £6,000 in grant funding to help more walking football projects to get off the ground and help more people with Parkinson’s to get active in a fun and social way.

More than 100 new Parkinson’s walking footballers have taken up the sport since the investment from Parkinson’s UK and the WFA first started.

It is hoped that many more people will be able to experience the benefits of walking football in the future.

Premier League teams such as Arsenal FC and Nottingham Forest FC are among the household names that have started walking football projects to help more people living with long-term health conditions, such as Parkinson’s, to get back into football.

Arsenal’s Community Foundation work has also been featured on BBC’s Match of the Day programme, further highlighting the growth of walking football for people with Parkinson’s.

Walking football events, tournaments and challenges also continue to grow in popularity with the Parkinson’s community at a national and international level.

Parkinson’s UK began funding the Walking Football Association through their Physical Activity Innovation Fund in 2023 and the sport continues to go from strength-to-strength with more clubs looking to get involved across England.

Tim Morton, Physical Activity Programme Lead for Parkinson’s UK, said:

“We are delighted to be continuing our work with the Walking Football Association and we hope that even more people living with Parkinson’s will be able to try the sport and live well with the condition.

“Walking football is not just about being physically active, it can also have many social benefits for participants. Being active is so important for people with Parkinson’s as it can help manage symptoms, maintain health and lift your mood.

“It can make you feel good inside and out. The more physically active you are, the easier it is to live well with Parkinson’s.”

Stuart Langworthy, England Team Manager for Over 60s Walking Football at the Walking Football Association, said:

“Since our Parkinson’s walking football project started in February 2023, we have seen a marked increase in the participation and engagement from the Parkinson’s community in England and we are delighted to see so many participants taking part and enjoying football together.

“We are also grateful to Parkinson’s UK for their support and generosity which has allowed us to deliver the new walking football programme and make it a huge success.

“Quite simply this project has helped the WFA in its drive to increase support for grassroots walking football - and has undoubtedly enabled many more people living with Parkinson's to get up, get out and get active”

Annie Booth was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2022 and started playing walking football in the same year. Talking about the experience of playing for her local club, Annie said:

"I was 54, I had Parkinson’s and in a bid to manage my condition-induced apathy, it was time to try something new. Keeping active was always my way to fight the 'apathy beast' but it was becoming more challenging to do it on my own, that was until I found out about walking football.

“Being part of a new team at Northern Lights Walking Football was something special and I will always be grateful to those who encouraged me to keep trying. In July 2022, I was the first woman to be selected for the England Parkinson's Walking Football team.”

To learn more about the benefits of walking football and to find your local Parkinson’s team, visit https://thewfa.co.uk/