Walking Hockey team celebrate

Focus on ... Walking Hockey

How one governing body are turning their sport into an activity for life.

There are opportunities to participate in the sport of Hockey no matter who you are – and no matter what levels of experience you have in sport. One format of the sport which has seen a growth in recent times is walking hockey, offering those with potentially limited mobility with the opportunity to begin or continue in the sport.

What is Walking Hockey?

The idea behind Walking Hockey is to allow people to play the sport well into their later life and not be restricted from doing so due to any previous or current injuries they might have.

Walking Hockey is exactly as the name suggests – you play Hockey while walking - and is perfect for players who are looking for a less physically demanding version of the sport, but still enjoy participating, showing their skills and being involved in the team and social aspect of the sport. Walking Hockey is also perfect for people new to the sport who want to be active and meet new people.

It allows clubs across Scotland to offer members who would normally have stopped playing, a new way to play hockey along with opening it up to a whole new audience. 

Walking Hockey participant growth

One club in Scotland having a lot of success delivering walking hockey is Uddingston Hockey Club. The club began offering walking hockey at the start of the year and participation has grown significantly since.

George Finlayson, who runs the walking hockey section at the club, said,

“We’ve got a great facility at the club so we thought we’d use it to offer people who perhaps played hockey in the past and haven’t played for a while, or are coming back from injury, the chance to play. We have people from various age groups taking part then we finish up at the end of the day with coffee and biscuits, and a good chat. It’s all for fun and the banter is pretty good too.

“It’s very similar to normal hockey other than you don’t hit the ball above the knee and you don’t run – that’s the hardest bit for people because the ball can only be a few yards ahead of you and have to fight the urge for a few quick wee steps! Then it’s a big laugh when everyone reminds them that you can’t do that.

“We don’t want it to be competitive, you could almost take away the goals – that’s just a target and goals don’t matter, it’s about getting out and having a form of exercise while meeting new people and having fun.”

More clubs across the country are looking to add opportunities for walking hockey so anyone interested in getting involved can contact Scottish Hockey at the link below.  at info@scottish-hockey.org.uk.

Find out more

- About Hockey in Scotland 

- About Walking Hockey

- About Hockey on Sport First

 

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