WALKING FOOTBALL A TOOLKIT TO SUPPORT DELIVERY OF A SLOWER VERSION OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME 1 CONTENTS Introduction 3 Partners and Funding 4 Marketing 5 Session – Before, during and after 9 Best practice 13 Editable templates to promote activity and registration forms to include medical and injury disclaimer 18 Rules 20 2 INTRODUCTION WALKING FOOTBALL A SLOWER VERSION OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME Walking football has become increasingly popular. ‘It’s exactly what it sounds like – a standard game of football where players walk instead of run.’ IIts designed to help people get fit or maintain an active lifestyle no matter what their age and fitness, as well as support people getting back into football f they have given it up due to age or injury. Older people who play have seen many benefits: lower heart rate and blood pressure, less fat and more muscle, and better mobility. And it’s not just health benefits - Walking football also offers social benefits. Participants can meet new people, avoid becoming isolated, and interact with individuals and small groups. This is one sporting activity that is suitable for all. 3 BBC GET INSPIRED A free online portal to help promote sporting activities on PARTNERS the BBC Sport & BBC Get Inspired websites. YOUR LOCAL COUNTY Starting a new Walking SPORT PARTNERSHIP AND FUNDING Football session doesn’t have to be daunting. You can get Supported by Sport England, your local County Sport support from national and local Partnership may be able to point you in the direction of organisations. Whether you potential funding schemes as well as share your session are looking for kit, financial with their contacts. support, or publicity, there are a number of ways to help kick- YOUR LOCAL SPORTS THERAPISTS start your session. Many private clinics and practitioners are keen to utilise alternative source of rehabilitation and could be great form of referrals. LOCAL HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS Housing Associations must contribute to their tenants’ living environment. Many have a specific pot of Corporate Responsibility funding. If you know of a community suitable for walking football, contact the Housing YOUR LOCAL COUNTY FA YOUR LOCAL AGE UK Associations and tap into this free money. They can offer advice or best practice from other local Contacting your local Age UK is a great way to get the Walking Football sessions, tell you about any current word out about your new session. YOUR LOCAL PROFESSIONAL football projects that could support your session, and help promote your session. FOOTBALL CLUBS LOCAL PRESS Both Football League and Premier League clubs host Walking Football is a great talking point. Often local community schemes that deliver a range of activities. THE FA MARS JUST PLAY SCHEME newspapers are happy to include a story about your These schemes deliver projects in the local community This scheme supports recreational football across the session to help attract new players. You can invite them to ranging from reading schemes to alcohol misuse country. It offers a choice of two support packages of kit or come and take some photos of your session. rehabilitation. Having a football club on your side can be a funding for recreational football sessions. It also advertises great asset, as they may offer their branding, experienced your session on The FA’s Just Play website. coaches and reduced facility hire. 4 LIVE LIFE, NOT JUST EXIST. It’s sometimes easy to get stuck in a rut in retirement. A new activity is a great way to MARKETING try something new and get the most out of life. Find something you love and you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it. STAY HEALTHY. We all want to stay mobile and continue Although walking football isn’t age or gender specific, enjoying our daily activities independently. the typical participant is a man of retirement age. Doing a bit of regular activity will keep you Participants will often have played affiliated football feeling healthy and happier in later life. in the past, but have been out of the game for a number of years. ENJOY TIME TOGETHER. When promoting and advertising your walking Retirement brings with it more free football session you may want to consider the time. Perhaps it’s time to rekindle old following messages: friendships and get to know each other again? There’s no better way than by doing a sport or outdoor activity together. CONNECT WITH YOUR COME AND JOIN US. KIDS AND GRANDKIDS. Living the same routine year after year can sometimes It’s nice to be a spectator when it make you feel like you’re you’re going through the motions. comes to your grandchildren’s or Joining in a physical activity with a group of people your children’s lives, but even better to be age can be a breath of fresh air, make you laugh and give a participant. Activities are a great way to you a good time. It’s a great way to get out more, meet spend quality time together and get to new people and feel better. know them better. JUST LIKE IT USED TO BE. THE BOREDOM BUSTER. Remember how activity used to feel? Remember running Retirement beats working any day – but errands as a child, or the feeling you once got from playing at times you can get into a routine that sport or riding your bike? There’s no reason why you can’t quickly starts feeling like groundhog day. get that same pleasure – with activities that you know and Taking up a physical activity can inject a feel good about and at your pace. buzz and energy into your routine. 5 Join us down the local. Blokes – Walk your When designing your GET BACK TO No pressure, way back to leaflet or putting FEELING FIT AT no jargon FITNESS together promotional YOUR LOCAL JUST GREAT CLUB. material there is VALUE, a number of key ENJOYABLE statements that you ACTIVITIES No courses may wish to use: Great ways to commit to, HOW TO FEEL to get back to no membership, FITTER fitness with a bit at a time. no pressure, just FREE TASTER COME AS YOU SESSIONS. ARE LIKE TO TRY MEET UP A NEW ACTIVITY WITH BUT DON’T KNOW FRIENDS A friendly HOW? WE DO. old and new We’re your everyday Rediscover your welcome and at your local experts on activities competitive side no membership club. walking football @ fees Traditionally, a walking football participant makes decisions based on their family, who are a strong influence in their decision making process – they rely heavily on them for opinions and advice. However, they can also be open to new products and services as long as they are presented in a reassuring and straightforward manner. The marketing messages that walking football participants traditionally respond to is: CHEAP JARGON FREE EVERYDAY HARD-WORKING BASIC DOWN-TO-EARTH NECESSITY TRADITIONAL SENSIBLE SIMPLE 6 GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT • Local newsletters, notice boards and information points are widely used. Players tend to participate in walking football sessions that are within easy THERE travelling distance. • Paper or verbal methods will attract the traditional walking football participant much more than email and social media. • Include images that participants can relate to. For example if you are advertising a walking football session that traditionally attracts males aged 50+ then don’t use images of a teenage footballer. • Avoid the overuse of images that can only take place in urban areas. • Consider all the other equality groups (like those detailed here) who could be living in rural areas. • Avoid stereotypes and be innovative with the images and text you use. • Try to involve local volunteers who are a focal point for the community. Potential participants are much more likely to trust and listen to people who are an advocate of walking football and live in the local area. • Don’t just focus on the activity, as many people will go for the social side. If your venue has the ability to provide refreshments, then use it. • Social media is a great tool for engaging with current participants. Setting up a Facebook group for example allows you to speak with participants on a regular basis and keep in touch with people who don’t turn up every week. 7 WALKING FOOTBALL MARKETING PLAN PLANNING Contact local community groups to ask if you could Schedule the session at an appropriate time and venue. have a few minutes to speak to the group. Take some Try and use a venue that is at the heart of the community flyers and tell them about the walking football session. A and has regular footfall. A busy leisure centre or large personal invite is a lot more friendly and gives people the community club is much more likely to attract participants opportunity to ask questions. then a community centre that is used by only a few people each week. When you are advertising the session, remember it’s not just the intended participant you are speaking to. It is also important to consider the time and day of the Someone’s daughter, son, wife or neighbour might be the session. Typically walking football sessions struggle one to pass the message on, so include as much relevant when they are held on a Friday evening or a Sunday information as possible. morning. Sessions over a weekday lunchtime also struggle to attract participants. Continue to promote the sessions once they’ve started and report any good news stories. Send out a press release MARKETING that tells people what’s happening. Examples of stories Once you know when and where your session will be, could be 20 people turning up to the first session, or a you can start thinking about how to attract people.