EFDN partners with Walking Football League
EFDN is delighted to announce its official partnership with the Walking Football League. The participating teams from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands come together for the third matchday at FC Schalke 04 on Thursday, 10 October.
The goal of the unique competition is to spread the passion for Walking Football beyond borders. Walking football is simply football without running. Playing the beautiful game at a more feasible pace eliminates barriers and provide greater accessibility to the sport. The fast-growing sport is a good opportunity especially for elderly people that previously have been forced to stop playing due to age or injury. The elderly find camaraderie and sportiness, winning is therefore of secondary importance.
EFDN members FC Schalke 04, VfL Wolfsburg, SV Werder Bremen, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, NEC Nijmegen, Vitesse and PSV Eindhoven met in April 2018 to plan a Pan-European competition of professional clubs and their Walking Football teams. Bayer 04 Leverkusen hosted the first matchday in September 2018. The second round took place at PSV Eindhoven in May 2019.
In total, 12 teams join the upcoming matchday in Gelsenkirchen. Belgian EFDN member Club Brugge and the German clubs Borussia Dortmund, 1.FC Nürnberg and Eintracht Frankfurt send their teams for the first time to participate in the Walking Football League. Our member FC Schalke 04 and its foundation Schalke hilft! prepared a comprehensive programme for all clubs. The players have the chance to meet each other already on Wednesday during the opening event at Veltins Arena. On Thursday, the teams meet again on the pitch of Glückauf-Kampfbahn, an old stadium that was used by FC Schalke 04 until 1973.
Hubert Rovers, CEO at EFDN said: “EFDN is proud to be an official partner of the Walking Football League. As a European network, we are always interested in partnerships using the power of football to promote physical activity and bring people from different countries together. Together with our members, we developed and implemented the European Legends project and disseminated the Walking Football methodology around Europe. The Walking Football League is a great way to continue with this process and to promote the health and social benefits of Walking Football. We are looking forward to the third matchday hosted by our member FC Schalke 04.”
- Are you interested in Walking Football? Have a look at our Walking Football Practitioners’ Guide
Walking Football Programme
