St. Pat's come out on top after brilliant LOI Walking Football Festival Day
Far from the hustle and bustle of highly charged competitive League of Ireland football, a gentler version of the game was on show at the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown on Saturday, 14 June with players representing 12 League of Ireland clubs enjoying a festival of football where the emphasis was on maintaining health and well-being and creating social connections.
Almost 150 players participated in the second League of Ireland Walking Football festival where the youngest player on show was 55 years of age compared to the oldest being 81 years young! Walking football is a sport which emphasises safety and enables players of every age to participate together while the obvious differences in physicality between men and women are redundant due to the rules of the game which promote non-contact and a walking pace.
The event was supported by Age & Opportunity and was a huge success with every player deservedly awarded a LOI Commemorative medal. The LOI Walking Football Cup went to St. Pat’s after an exciting penalty shoot-out with Bohemians.
One of the stars of the show was former Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team player and Manager, Linda Gorman who was a key figure in Bohemians’ journey to the final. There were also several ex-League of Ireland legends parading their talents showing that while athleticism may be temporary, class is permanent!
League of Ireland FSR manager Derek O’Neill said: “Once again, we see the power of football to promote well-being and forge social connections. To see almost 150 players between the ages of 55 and 81 being able to play together is testament to the ethos of this type of football event where everyone is considered a winner for pulling on the boots again to represent their local LOI Club. Walking football is on an upward trajectory in Ireland and we’re only at the start of that journey. Agencies such as Age and Opportunity and Healthy Ireland are a great support in this regard and I expect that as the older population continues to grow, that sporting opportunities such as this will enable more people to maintain robust health and well-being while also promoting the importance of social connectedness.”
