Walking football has made a successful debut in Kirkcudbright.
Taster sessions were run at St Mary’s Park – home of St Cuthbert Wanderers – two days last week.
And organiser Craig Fabian was delighted with how they went.
He said: “It went really well. We’re in the region of 35 players and 20 are new to walking football.
“We’ve got a good mix of male and female, it’s about 65 per cent male and 35 per cent female which is more than you would imagine.”
The first session on Monday night featured 20 people – from first-timers to ex-footballers – with five-a-side games taking place across the first-team pitch.
Thursday’s session attracted around 12 people, again a number of them new players, and Craig has managed to recruit a volunteer coach to help with warm-up routines and minimise injuries.
Those taking part described it as “great fun” with one player saying “never has one-and-a-half hours contained so much laughter, smiling and courtesy”.
Walking football is aimed at adults over 50 and is a standard game of football on a small-size pitch. Instead of running, players walk or jog gently with no slide tackling or heading the ball allowed.
And as well as health benefits, it also has a social aspect with players meeting new people and having a laugh over a cuppa.
Sessions will take place at St Mary’s at 7pm on Mondays and 2pm on Thursdays.
Anyone interested in giving it a go or wanting more information should call Craig Fabian on 07493 777855 or email saintswalkingfootball@gmail.com. Players can turn up on the day.
