Walking Soccer: Hunting for goals with a controlled walking pace in Sandweier

A few months ago a new sport arrived in Baden. It enables women and men to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. The best example of this is the seniors of FV Sandweier, who won the first tournament in South Baden in walking football on Saturday.

Walking football? Some readers will wonder what that means. Football while walking? Football is a fast-paced sport that requires endurance, quick starts, high acceleration and jumps as well.

Stamina is also required in this new sport as the players have to “go after the ball” four times for 15 minutes. Yes, that’s right, go! Don’t walk, run, jump and always keep the ball nice and flat, no higher than waist height.

“We had to use walking, and Bernhard Reis from TV Haueneberstein helped us with that,” explained Werner Bartenbach from FV Sandweier. The 72-year-old was a striker at Karlsruher SC and SC Baden-Baden as well as a long-time coach at SV Sinzheim and VfB Gaggenau.

Two years ago he learned about walking football, and he laughed at first. “I wondered if football was now played with sticks,” Bartenbach recounts. But he was soon enthusiastic after his first attempts.

Sandweier introduced the sport in November 2023

After an introductory information event, FV Sandweier started their first training session last November with six young players and 16 people over 55 years old. The small goal, just one meter high, and the yellow jerseys with the inscription “FV Sandweier Walking Football” were supported. “We train every Monday from 7pm,” says Bartenbach and he hopes to be able to recruit more players. “Mixed teams are also allowed,” explains Viola Klausmann from the South Baden Football Association (SBFV).

The response and enthusiasm in Sandweier is so great that the SBFV entrusted FV Sandweier to organize the first South Baden walking football tournament. “We now have a dozen clubs in the SBFV that offer walking football,” explained Klaus Fengler, chairman of the Baden-Baden region and the SBFV’s vice-chairman for leisure and popular sports.

Four teams in their first competition

However, only four clubs had registered for the tournament: FV Sandweier as a pioneer in the format of the game, SV Haslach, SV Breisach and TuS Hügelsheim, which, however, had to be canceled without notice. “It’s a new field for many, and some people aren’t quite confident about it yet,” Klausmann suspects.

However, all three rival clubs had fun on Saturday. Not only were the players, one woman among them, of a certain age. The two association referees Wolfgang Kurzmann and Reinhard Schindler are also seniors. They all enjoyed being back on the pitch and having the ball at their feet.

But there was still a lot of hope. “That’s not possible, you can’t get out from behind!” shouted a player across the pitch. “Don’t run!” it was the command again from outside. He takes a lot of control without running the ball. After 15 minutes there will be a change and the next teams face each other.

“I haven’t played football for 20 years, it’s slower, but you get the feel of the ball quickly again,” says Andreas Frietsch, 64, from FV Sandweier, who used to play actively in the first team.

Active soccer player Markus Sutter, who used to play for FC 04 Rastatt, is also committed to walking soccer. After knee surgery at the start of the year, the 55-year-old is still not fit for the AH team. “For me, this is a great alternative and it’s also a challenge because training can add up to five to six kilometers of walking quickly,” explained Sutter.

I feel comfortable in the team here.

Wolfgang Bantel

SV Breisach player

Wolfgang Bantel from SV Breisach is the oldest player in this competition. “I’ve already had hip and knee surgery and problems with my eyes, but here I feel comfortable in the team because they understand me and I’m not ashamed of myself,” said Bantel, who there is also the opportunity to do recreational sports. What is important is the friendship and socializing after training and games.

High scoring games were played by the senior footballers on Saturday. In the end, the FV Sandweier team won the first South Baden walking football tournament with nine points.