The Stratford Sloths Walking Soccer League is a bit of a misnomer.
If you’ve ever watched the group’s members, mostly in their 50s, 60s and 70s, play at the Packham Road turf pitch, there’s nothing lazy – or sloth-like – about it.
“It’s far more exercise than you ever imagined,” said Pete Mitchell, the league’s president, or, as he calls it, “the person who got conned into organizing everything.”
After a friend mentioned his 93-year-old dad was playing walking soccer in the United Kingdom, Mitchell sent an email to about 40 people early in 2021 to gauge interest in starting a similar league in the city.
“We didn’t know what it was like ourselves, and we’re not trying to offend anybody,” Mitchell said. “There was a definite curious interest. It soon quickly spread to other people . . . and that’s the way it’s kind of grown. If I did look back at those emails, it would be interesting to see how many are coming out from the original email.”
The league had around 20 players signed up the first season but struggled to get more than 12 of them out to each session. It’s grown now to 25 registered players – mostly men but also a couple women in their 40s. Games typically consist of six to eight players aside playing two 30-minute halves…
The Sloths’ next games are June 19 at 7:30 p.m. and June 26 at 9 p.m., all at Packham Road. For more information, contact Pete Mitchell at p.i.mitchell@rogers.com
READ MORE at source: https://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/sports/local-sports/stratford-sloths-walking-soccer-league-in-a-class-of-its-own
