HRI Member Contributes to Launch of Ireland's First Walking Football Strategy with the FAI
Health Research Institute (HRI) member Aoife Noonan is helping to advance the health and wellbeing ambitions of Ireland's first national Walking Football Strategy, launched this week by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and partners. The strategy aims to expand participation in walking football nationwide and position the sport as an important tool for promoting healthy ageing, social connection and physical activity among older adults.
Aoife, a PhD candidate and active member of the HRI Hub, is the National Health & Wellbeing Lead with the FAI. In this role, she supported the implementation of the strategy's health-focused actions and explore how walking football can contribute to wider health and wellbeing initiatives across grassroots football.
Walking football is a slower-paced, non-contact version of the game designed to make football more accessible for older adults and those returning to physical activity. Demand for the sport has grown significantly in recent years, with the new strategy setting out a roadmap to increase participation from approximately 1,000 players today to 5,000 by 2029.
A key element of the strategy is its focus on health. Planned actions include working with healthcare professionals to promote participation, exploring walking football as a form of social prescribing, and examining its potential role as a "Walking Football as Medicine" approach for people living with chronic health conditions.
The strategy was developed through collaboration between the FAI, Age & Opportunity, Healthy Ireland, Sport Ireland, the Irish Men's Sheds Association and grassroots representatives from across Ireland. [fai.ie]
For HRI, the initiative reflects the growing importance of research-informed approaches to health promotion, active ageing and community wellbeing. It also highlights the valuable role that HRI researchers and postgraduate students play in translating evidence into real-world initiatives that can positively impact people's lives.
The Walking Football Strategy 2026-2029 was officially launched by Minister of State Jennifer Murnane O'Connor TD and aims to establish walking football teams in every county in Ireland by the end of the strategy period.
