The next edition of the European Walking Football Tournament will take place on September 22nd in the Bayer 04 Youth performance center in Leverkusen, Germany after the 1st edition of the tournament that took place in May 2022 in Breda, the Netherlands.
15 European football clubs will participate in the 2nd edition of the tournament in Germany where the players aged 50 and more will compete together and enjoy friendly matches. This year, the tournament is linked with the 5-year anniversary of the Silver clubs of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Germany. To celebrate this fact, there are additional events planned on the evening of the 21st and the evening of the 22nd at the Bayer Arena.
For the next tournament, the format will expand to a maximum of 20 teams, giving the opportunity to men and women over 50-year old from across Europe to join this event. The matches will take place at the Bayer 04 Leverkusen training ground, and the participants will join a number of events jointly with Bayer 04 Leverkusen fans, joining them at the BayArena.
There are already 13 confirmed teams, consisting of up to 10 players from the European Football for Development Network, and other members have shown their interest in participating. The full list of participants will be announced in the upcoming weeks!
Walking Football League project
The European Walking Football League is a tournament, initiated by EFDN and Partners that brings community-engaged football clubs in order to deliver a program that increases physical activity levels and improves social cohesion and inclusion for people aged 50 and more. In addition, the Walking Football League gives an opportunity to players to lead a physical and socially-active lifestyle in their European communities. One of the main goals of this project is to further develop Walking Football as a sustainable sport in Europe and raise the profile of the game.
Project Partners
- Vålerenga Fotball (Olso, Norway)
- Ferencvárosi Torna Club (Budapest, Hungary)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Leverkusen, Germany)
- Rangers Charity Foundation (Glasgow, UK)
- Fundação Benfica (Lisbon, Portugal)
- Real Betis Balompié Foundation (Seville, Spain)
- FC Schalke 04 (Gelsenkirchen, Germany)
- Morton in the Community (Greenock, UK)
- Newcastle United Foundation (Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK)
Would you like to join this tournament?
Stay connected for more information about this event, and contact m.rijkhoff@efdn.org if you would like to know more about this event and how to join!
