“I’ve often said, see the guy who came up with the idea of walking football, he deserves a knighthood.”

Whilst David Beckham’s incoming honours might be grabbing the headlines, for players of the 92 teams travelling from as far as Tain (over 200 miles away from Glasgow), it is the sport’s creator who has had a far more significant impact on their lives.

Not just a record breaking event which saw over 900 players involved, Walking Football Scotland’s annual Scottish Cup and Festival represented a coming together of people whose lives have been positively impacted by the sport.

Whilst the seven trophies for various competitive categories are no doubt significant, it really is the taking part that counts for those involved.

“Three years ago, next week, I had a massive heart attack,” says George Mullen of the Drumchapel United.

“I worked with children in care, so I had to retire. And once I retired I was watching ‘Homes Under the Hammer’ and ‘Bargain Hunt’, my mental health was going down like a tonne of bricks.” 

Then, a friend suggested he try walking football.

“I met a guy, he said to me, ‘Monday morning George, Donald Dewar’ (sports facility in Drumchapel), and I’ve not looked back,” says Mullen, who now plays up to three times a week.

“So on a Monday morning I’ll be the Donald Dewar, Tuesday at Scotstoun and a Thursday at Scotstoun.”

The impact of socialising cannot be understated , studies show the importance of spending time with other people and the impacts of loneliness.

Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that older adults experiencing chronic loneliness had a 56% higher risk of stroke during a 10-12 year period than those who did not.

President of Walking Football Scotland Kenny McLean is also keen to extol the virtues of the social side, rather than the results themselves.

“This is bringing people out of the house,  getting a bit of activity, but also increasing their social circle, because that’s what most people will speak about”, says McLean. 

“They’ll speak about the fact that yeah it’s good I’m getting a kick about the ball, but they’re actually involved now with others that they don’t normally get involved with, they’ve never met them before and here they are kicking a ball about at a time when they probably thought they would never be able to kick a ball.” 

For Bridges, the camaraderie has taken him as far as Albufeira, Portugal, as Drumchapel represented Scotland in the European Cup.

“You see the social side of it is great. We have a night at Christmas and the boys all meet up every now and again.  After the games we all go for tea and coffee and we sit and the banter, as you can imagine, is very good.”

Walking football Scotland established in when, but the event’s popularity is emblematic of the growth of the game, accelerating at a pace that belies its name.

“We are so lucky that we’ve got this facility for a start, that we can bring all these people together,” says McLean.

“But this isn’t just one thing, we have roughly around 6,000 people playing walking football recreationally throughout Scotland. We have a league structure throughout the year, so we have 1,500 people registered for that.”

So popular was the single day event however, that there is a waiting list for teams trying to join.

Increased numbers has also meant more inclusive events. The Parkinson’s Scottish Cup made its debut at the weekend, with the title claimed by the Glasgow Life team.

The tournament itself is mixed but there is a women only category as well as non-competitive, which allows disability teams such as Ardler from Dundee to enjoy “the huge benefits out of it” according to volunteer coach Neil Whitton.

“Our club’s for the people that are mentally and physically disabled, so it’s more of a social thing than a football thing.”

“The guys that come along to our group, some of them, they don’t get out and about a lot where there’s mass socialising and that,” Whittmore said.

“That’s what we tend to focus on more than anything else, more than the competitive side of it.”

That’s not the say the sport is a mere walk in the park, Maree Todd doubling as both a player and an MSP.

“I’ve only played once and I could hardly walk the next day,” says Todd, “I can give all the health messages in the world but people play sports because it’s fun!”

“Come along and give it a try, you don’t have to have any skills. I’ve just proved that today out there today.”

Speaking to women who might feel some reluctance to get involved in the sport, Todd says:

“Just come along, have a try. What you’ll meet is an amazing bunch of women and men who are just eager to have fun and re-discover a passion for sport.”

Far from closed circles, clubs are more than happy to bring new players onboard according to Mullen.

“I thought at first when I walked into Drumchapel, me knowing I might have been a wee bit cliquish. Come in, come in, they welcomed me with open arms, brilliant!”

“It’s unbelievable, beyond my wildest dreams after what I’ve been through.”

For those interested in finding out more, visit https://www.walkingfootballscotland.org/ .