Annie says the sport has improved her stability, balance and core strength (Image: Annie Booth)
As Euro 2024 fever sweeps England, people living with Parkinson’s are reaping the benefits of enjoying the sport at a slower pace – by playing walking football.
Running is banned and one foot must remain in contact with the ground under rules established when the slower game was invented in 2011.
Thousands of men and women typically in their 40s and 50s now take part at clubs across the country.
Some, like 57-year-old Annie Booth, find the regular exercise and team spirit help them cope with long-term health conditions.
She said: “On your worst day with Parkinson’s it can feel like all the sunshine has been removed from your brain. Taking part in a team sport gives you back motivation to keep living a life that is positive and joyful.
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Annie is passionate about encouraging more women to take part (Image: Annie Booth)
“Your fellow teammates pick you up and encourage you to carry on. I am honoured to be part of something truly special.”
Annie was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease ten years ago and had watched her father struggle with it.
She explained: “My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2008. He’d lived a really full and active life and was a fit 70-year-old.
“He was strong and brave, stubborn and smiley, and a sublime footballer with the nickname of ‘Tank’.
“For six years, we learned to live a very different life with this unfamiliar condition. When this became a big uphill battle, I watched him slip away from us in his mind and his body.
“It was utterly heartbreaking to see the best of him being taken by the worst that this condition has to offer.”
Annie’s diagnosis came one year after her dad died in 2013. She noticed a strange sensation in her leg and lack of dexterity in her left hand.
Her senses of smell and taste were impaired and she felt unusually tired.
The mum-of-two discovered walking football in 2020 through a Parkinson’s support group near her home in Liverpool.
Annie said: “The benefits have been many – impacting on both my physical and mental health.
“Parkinson’s can be an unforgiving and relentless condition affecting my ability to move, do the simplest of tasks that we all take for granted – walk, think clearly, eat, sleep. It is all affected by having Parkinson’s and is unpredictable.
“Walking football has helped improve my stability, balance, and core strength, and learning a new skill has given me a feeling of belonging to something, reduces isolation and has brought me friendship and laughter.”
Walking football is usually played with teams of six on small pitches with small goals. The slower pace and reduced contact minimises risk of injury.
In the summer of 2022, Annie received a call to say she had earned a place on the Parkinson’s England Walking Football Squad, becoming the only woman on the team.
She said: “It is fair to say that I consider it a true honour to wear my England shirt – it is a moment I savour privately as I slip the jersey over my head.
“Every time I do so, I catch my breath, say a silent thank-you to my beloved Dad for being my ultimate inspiration, and wish my teammates the strength to enjoy life through this wonderful opportunity.”
Her time on the pitch generates a feeling of achievement, Annie said, particularly on days when she feels her disease has robbed her of so much.
Annie is passionate about encouraging more women to take up the sport. Last year, she started Parkinson’s Pioneers, the first walking football team catering exclusively to women living with the condition.
She added: “My one abiding rule to myself and to all of our players is that we all enjoy the experience and, no matter the result, with hope and optimism in our back pocket, we will achieve far more than I ever dreamed of just a year ago.”
Annie shared her experience in support of We Are Undefeatable, a national campaign which encourages people with a range of long term health conditions to find ways to be active.
Tim Morton, physical activity programme lead at Parkinson’s UK, said being physically active can make it easier to live well with the disease.
He added: “Being active is so important, as it can help manage symptoms, maintain health and lift your mood. It can make you feel good inside and out.
“Walking football is not just about being physically active, it can also have many social benefits too.
“We are always inspired by the walking football community and the skill and positivity they bring to the beautiful game.
“We hope Euros 2024 will encourage more people living with Parkinson’s to find their local group and give it a try.”
You can find out more about local walking football teams and other activities to support those living with Parkinson’s here.