Under a scarce autumn sun, a real derby was on the program this morning. Due to the anniversary of walking football at EDO, the Haarlem football club hosted Telstar from Velsen. This variant of the popular sport is especially for the elderly and has been played for five years now. Reason enough for a special competition.
Five years ago, former EDO director Pieter Duinkerken initiated walking football at the Haarlem club. “We mainly did this to keep the elderly moving. But the social component also plays a role. Some players know each other from the past. It is great fun to reminisce about old stories together,” explains Pieter, who unfortunately did not participate himself. can do.
Walking football is played on a half field. The age of the players varies between 55 and 84 years. To increase the safety of the football players, the ball is not shot above the knee and the players must move across the field by walking. A difficult task, as the video below shows.
There is no ultimate winner, after all it is about the enjoyment of the sport and the cup of coffee afterwards. “But,” EDO player Theo Blüm concludes with a laugh. “It’s secretly quite nice to walk off the field as a winning team. You always want to win.”