Walking soccer: A systematic review of a modified sport

Background: Walking soccer (football) is an emerging modified sport gaining recognition globally.

Objectives: To synthesize current evidence for walking soccer and provide a summary of global walking soccer organizations.

Data sources: We searched for studies published across all years and all languages within multiple databases for studies focused on walking soccer (football) in adults (18 + years). Two authors independently screened citations at Level 1 and 2. We also conducted a forward citation search and reviewed the reference lists for included studies. We searched the gray literature to identify walking soccer organizations. We conducted the last database search in December 2019.

Study appraisal and synthesis methods: We conducted a standard systematic review following established guidelines. We also summarized findings from a limited search for walking soccer organizations. For peer-reviewed literature, we used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) to assess methodological quality and conducted a narrative synthesis of the evidence.

Results: We identified nine peer-reviewed studies (with 117 participants). Most studies included small sample sizes and interventions with short duration. Walking soccer is an emerging modified sport that is popular across the United Kingdom (UK), with its reach extending to other countries.

Conclusions: Limited published evidence exists for walking soccer, despite is global popularity. For the studies identified, generalizability was limited to predominately older men from the UK. Based on preliminary findings, walking soccer has the potential to confer health benefits and build social connections.