Walking football rules
Walking football is football without running, contact or heading, played mostly by people over 50 and anyone coming back from injury. These are The FA's own Laws for it, revised in February 2025, in plain English. Many groups and venues change a few of them, and the Laws allow that.
By Squadcard. Last updated .
In short
- Walking means always having at least one foot on the ground; the goalkeeper is excused while making a save.
- Every fourth time a team is pulled up for not walking, the other team gets a penalty.
- No heading, no contact, no slide tackles and no offside, and the ball can't go above a height limit of at most 2 metres.
- Fouls are punished with indirect free kicks, and cautions mean a blue card and two to five minutes in the sin bin.
- Nobody but the goalkeeper may go into the penalty area, and the goalkeeper can't come out of it.
Walking, and what happens if you don't
The FA defines walking as always having at least one foot in contact with the ground. It applies to every player, with or without the ball. The only exception is the goalkeeper in the act of making a save, who may dive or jump.
A player who isn't walking gives away an indirect free kick, unless the other team has a clear attacking chance and the referee plays advantage. Each team's not-walking offences are counted, and the fourth one gives the other team a penalty. The count then goes back to zero.
No heading, no contact, and a height limit
Walking football is non-contact. An indirect free kick is given for:
- Contact: charging, pushing, tripping, tackling or challenging an opponent carelessly, recklessly or with excessive force. Take extra care from behind or alongside, where people can't see you coming.
- Heading the ball: not allowed at all.
- Slide tackles, and playing the ball while on the floor.
- The ball going too high: there must be a height limit, no lower than the crossbar and no higher than 2 metres. Above it is an indirect free kick from where it happened.
- Holding an opponent, handball, dangerous play, impeding an opponent without contact, and dissent or abusive language.
Areas, goalkeepers and goals
The penalty area is a 6-metre semicircle in front of each goal. Only the goalkeeper may be in it. A defender who deliberately goes into their own area gives away a penalty; an attacker who goes into the opponents' area gives the other team a goal clearance. A goalkeeper who deliberately leaves their area also gives away a penalty.
The goalkeeper has six seconds with the ball in the area. They can't take the ball straight back from a teammate they've just passed to, unless it has touched another player first, and they can't score: if their kick goes into the other goal, it's a goal clearance. Goal clearances are thrown underarm or kicked, and must leave the area.
There's no offside. A goal can be scored from open play and directly from a corner or a penalty, but not straight from a kick-off, a kick-in or an indirect free kick. A free kick for an offence inside the area is taken 3 metres from the area's edge.
Team size, subs and how long a game lasts
- 5, 6 or 7-a-side, each with up to five substitutes.
- Rolling subs: as many changes as you like, and a player who's come off can go back on. Subs normally happen when play is stopped.
- Two to four equal periods of 5 to 30 minutes each, with no more than five minutes between them. Competitions can play the whole game straight through.
- Pitch: 25 to 50 metres long and 16 to 35 metres wide for 5 and 6-a-side, 50 to 60 by 30 to 40 metres for 7-a-side, with or without boards (without is recommended as safer).
- Goals: 3 to 5 metres wide and 1.2 to 2 metres high. Penalties are taken from 6.5 metres.
- Kick-ins or roll-ins where there are no boards. Where there are boards, there are no kick-ins or corners: the ball going out is a goal clearance.
Blue cards and the sin bin
Instead of yellow cards, walking football uses blue cards: a caution comes with a timed suspension of two to five minutes, set by the competition before the games. A second blue card is a red. Red cards are for serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting and abusive language, as in other football.
Where there's nowhere safe for a suspended player to wait in the referee's sight, such as a sports hall or a row of cages, the referee uses yellow cards instead and everyone stays on.
What organisers often change
The FA's Laws let organisers change the pitch and goal size, the ball, the length of the periods, the subs, the length of a sin bin, and add a limit on touches per player. So the height limit, the age rule and a two or three-touch limit vary from group to group: agree them before the first game, and write them down so new players know.
Running a regular walking football group? Splitting who's there into two even sides each week is the hard part. The team generator does it from a rough level for each player, and Squadcard keeps who's in and picks fair teams from the ratings the players give each other.
Pick two fair teamsQuestions
What counts as running in walking football?
Having both feet off the ground at once. The FA's Laws define walking as always having at least one foot in contact with the ground. The goalkeeper may leave the ground while making a save.
Is there heading in walking football?
No. Heading the ball is an offence, punished with an indirect free kick.
What is the height limit in walking football?
Each competition sets it, but it must be no lower than the crossbar and no higher than 2 metres. If the ball goes above it, the other team gets an indirect free kick from where it happened.
Is there offside in walking football?
No. The FA's Laws say there is no offside in walking football.
Can the goalkeeper come out of the area in walking football?
No. A goalkeeper who deliberately leaves their own area gives away a penalty, and only the goalkeeper may be in the area at all.
How old do you have to be to play walking football?
The FA's Laws don't set an age. Many groups and competitions do, often over 50 or over 60, so check with the group or tournament you're joining.