Seniors Get Back in the Game With 'Walking Soccer' in LA

In this league you won't find Messi, Mbappe or Bellingham but a different kind of soccer star.

Senior citizens ranging in age from 60 to 82 are back playing soccer in Los Angeles.

In this version of the beautiful game, you cannot run, which is why it's called "Walking Soccer."

The group meets up at a park on Southern California and the program has created a new sense of community for the folks.

"I like we socialize with the people, we come here to have to fun, that's important," participant Argeu DaSilva told KCBS. “Every game you are competitive, you always play for win."

Ben Drillings of the Walking Soccer Association told KCBS, "It’s good for the baby boomers that stopped working. instead of sitting at home and being lonely, you come to the park enjoy the sun vitamin d, enjoy social."

While running is not allowed, sometimes the players get too caught up in the moment and forget.

"I took the best rules of England, the best rules of Netherlands and combined them and with my profession as a chiropractor, I made it the safest game alive,” Drilling said.

The program has also created a new purpose for the participants.

Jeremy Aldridge, senior recreation director at the Lanark Recreation Center, told KCBS, "we don't have a big senior program here at Lanark. We are mostly focused on youth. This has helped reach into a different part of the community."

Related Stories