Professional soccer players run between six and nine miles in a match. So the term “walking soccer” may seem odd.
But the vast majority of soccer players are not pros. An increasing number are older than their 20s and 30s. Sometimes, they’re decades past.
Others love the game. But illness, mobility issues or other challenges prevent them from sprinting. Walking soccer is the answer.
It is also one of Brandi Mitchell’s passions. The other is recreational soccer, in all its forms. She’s an advocate, an evangelist – and an energetic and efficient organizer of both.
The Southern California native began AYSO at age 5. She also played softball, field hockey and volleyball, but soccer had a special hold. Mitchell was good – her team competed in Canada’s Robbie Cup, and she was recruited by several colleges.
Yet life interfered. Her parents divorced; she worked during the day, and went to school at night. She earned a degree in international policy studies. Soccer fell by the wayside.
Mitchell did not touch a ball again until she was 26, with two young children in San Diego. A friend asked why she no longer played. “It just hadn’t occurred to me to look,” Mitchell says.
When she did, she was astonished to find flourishing adult recreational soccer everywhere. She was hooked. She wanted to hook other women too.
At the time, the best way to find opportunities to play were ads on Craigslist and in Pennsyavers, she says. In 2007 Mitchell created SanDiegoSoccerWomen.com, as a local clearinghouse.
As she learned there were tournaments all over the nation, Mitchell added listings. The site grew organically. And as Mitchell sent more teams to more tournaments, she asked organizers to add age groups. Some now welcome teams in the 75-and-over category. At a recent event in Burlington, Vermont, Mitchell says, women in that age group “hit the ground, and got right back up.”
That high impact movement – especially with directional changes and jogging – has been shown to ward off bone density issues, a problem for many women.
Players range from newcomers – those who came only recently to the game – to those who like Mitchell played as youngsters. Some are true veterans. Ruth Harker and Linda Gancitano were members of the 1985 women’s national team – the first in U.S. history. Now in their 60s, they traveled with Mitchell to a tournament in Cancun, Mexico.
SUBSCRIBE TO KEEP READING
Start for $0 & enjoy free unlimited access for 30 days.
- Daily TV listings for U.S. and global soccer.
- Exclusive interviews with players and coaches.
- Expert analysis of top soccer headlines.
- Cancel anytime.
Already have an account? Sign in here.
CHECK OUT MORE STORIES
Not ready to subscribe? Sign up here for our free newsletter.
Already have an account? Sign in here.