Walking Football: first cycle completed, clear improvements for participants

The first cycle dedicated to the Walking Football project, promoted by the San Marino Football Federation and carried out in collaboration with the Functional Endocrine-Metabolic Diseases Unit (MFMEME) of the Internal Medicine Department at the State Hospital, has recently come to an end. The activity was free of charge and aimed at all over-50s with type 2 diabetes, with the goal of keeping fit while also having fun and socialising. The specific rules of this sport – including the ban on running and on playing the ball above waist height – help to minimise the risk of injury. During February, March and April, participants took part in a weekly training session lasting an hour and a half, led by qualified FSGC coaches in the gym of the Fonte dell'Ovo school complex. Thomas Berti and Matteo Giardi, in particular, noted that the goal of creating social bonds within a heterogeneous group was fully achieved, while also pointing out that the marked sedentary lifestyle many participants were coming from required a programme tailored to this condition and designed to ensure the activity was carried out in complete safety – despite a few inevitable stumbles and occasional precautionary pauses. According to the technical staff, these findings are also useful in understanding how to structure the next cycle, starting with a preventive reconditioning phase for participants who are largely inactive. In the report drawn up by Dr Letizia Ceccoli, we read that, of the twenty-six participants, a sample of “eight participants – among those who took part more consistently and more actively in the training sessions – completed a questionnaire on daily physical activity (IPAQ) before and after the Walking Football project, as well as an EQ-5D-5L Health questionnaire, and their clinical and biochemical parameters were assessed. Virtually all patients,” Dr Ceccoli highlights, “increased the frequency and intensity of their weekly physical activity, reduced the time spent in sedentary pursuits and improved their perception of their own quality of life and health. Weight and BMI (body mass index) decreased in every patient, while HbA1c levels remained on average stable. It would be desirable,” Dr Ceccoli concludes in her report, “to continue this project for a longer period, of at least six months and ideally with twice-weekly sessions, in order to achieve a significant improvement in glyco-metabolic control, as has occurred in similar projects carried out in Portugal and as expected and demonstrated by several international scientific studies”. “The Walking Football programme for people over 50 with type 2 diabetes has its roots some time back,” explains Project Leader and FSR Officer Andrea Zoppis. “Taking inspiration from what our colleagues at the Portuguese Football Federation have done in a similar field, and after initial tests and exhibitions to assess the soundness of the idea, we established the necessary and fruitful cooperation with the State Hospital of San Marino, whom we wish to thank for the support provided at every level. Participation was satisfactory, considering the limited target group. In particular, we are pleased that Walking Football has confirmed itself as a fun and effective way to improve one’s health and to socialise, while minimising the risks associated with potential injuries. The data recorded at the beginning and at the end of the programme, as well as the enthusiasm of the participants, show that the path we have taken is the right one. There is, of course, plenty of room to further improve the experience, also with a view to obtaining even more interesting results: in particular, by increasing the number of weekly training sessions and by gaining greater expertise in planning sessions for this specific form of football, as underlined by Dr Ceccoli and the technical staff involved. We owe them our thanks, as well as to all the doctors at the Diabetology Centre of the State Hospital of San Marino for their vital cooperation, to the coaches involved in the programme and above all to the participants. And we should not forget UEFA, which actively supports our Social Responsibility projects. The intention for next year is to extend the project to all people over 50, with or without medical conditions, and to increase the number of participants”.

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