KAA Gent Foundation Expands Walking Football to 11 Neighborhoods

The KAA Gent Foundation is set to broaden its walking football initiative, aiming to establish two new hubs, bringing the total to 11 across Ghent by 2028. This adapted form of soccer is designed for individuals aged 55 and above, emphasizing a slower pace with no running allowed and welcoming participants with early-stage dementia.

Currently, nine walking football groups are active in various Ghent neighborhoods, including Nieuw-Gent, Binnenstad, and Wondelgem. An additional group is scheduled to launch in Nieuw-Gent this year, with future expansion eyed for Gentbrugge and Ledeberg. The initiative currently engages approximately 130 participants, with an average of 15 players per team.

Played in a 5-vs-5 format, walking football is mixed-gender and strictly prohibits physical contact, with a rule limiting the ball's height to one meter. "Walking football is essentially an adapted version of mini-football," explains Mathilde Dispersyn from the KAA Gent Foundation. "It doesn't matter if you have prior football experience. Everyone is welcome, men and women." The program also boasts no age limit, with its oldest participant being 91.

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Walking football is essentially an adapted version of mini-football. It doesn't matter if you have prior football experience. Everyone is welcome, men and women.

Some teams, like the one in Wondelgem, have successfully integrated individuals with early-stage dementia. Facilitators adapt exercises with simple instructions and color codes. "We try to support them as best we can," Dispersyn notes. "You always have a mix in a team, with some stronger profiles and then people who are more vulnerable. This allows them to take good care of each other."

New teams receive a year of guidance from the KAA Gent Foundation, supported by resources from the city of Ghent. Following this period, they are linked with local service centers or football clubs. These teams remain connected to the broader KAA Gent Foundation walking football network, which organizes gatherings for all teams to play together several times a year.

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We try to support them as best we can. You always have a mix in a team, with some stronger profiles and then people who are more vulnerable. This allows them to take good care of each other.