After almost 10 years of confusion within the walking football community, The FA and the Walking Football Association (WFA) last week jointly announced “positive discussions” surrounding the development of a single, unified rulebook.
While the current two Laws of the Game are similar, nuances exist around free kicks, levels of contact, number of touches, handball and goal area dimensions, which frequently lead to confusion on and off the pitch.
Could this finally be about to change?
A decade of indecision
Walking football was still finding its feet as an organised sport when the WFA was founded in 2016.
The FA had published its own rulebook, but many in the game felt it lacked the depth and detail that walking football required, leaving the door open for the WFA to further develop its own laws of the game with direct input from clubs and referees.
The two bodies did attempt to unify their rules back in 2019, making meaningful progress before the process broke down.
Frustration has since grown within the sport at having to manage conflicting rulebooks, best echoed by Luton Town Walking Football Club in 2024:
“In an ideal world the rules would be amalgamated to ensure continuity on the field of play for players, managers and officials and although both parties have tried to form a marriage of the two it has failed repeatedly.”
The practical consequence has been a fragmented landscape with different walking football clubs, leagues and tournaments choosing different rules, occasionally with even more localised changes!
Voices from the game
The reaction to the announcement on the FA’s TeamWalk Community website has been immediate and positive.
As of today (24/02/26) comments such as “No-brainer!”, “An outstanding development for the game nationwide” and “Something that so many have wanted for such a long time”, reflect the genuine appetite among walking football players for a resolution.
Will Hungerford, Football Development Officer (Clubs and Leagues) at Hertfordshire FA, agrees:
“A joined-up approach is what walking football needs. A clear set of rules to allow the game to grow which will ensure walking football is providing football for all.”
The WFW view
Walking Football World was established back in 2017, almost immediately following the launch of the Walking Football Association. We have witnessed the evolution and divergence of the laws of the game first-hand.
One of the very first things we implemented in our listings was a clear statement about which rulebook an event followed. It’s a key detail that we know matters to players that’s almost impossible to find anywhere else online.
But the fact that we need to do this at all tells its own story. A player shouldn’t have to check the small print before turning up to a session and a new walking football league shouldn’t have to pick sides before a ball’s even been kicked.
The dual rulebook system creates friction at every level of the game and it falls on communities, clubs and directories like ours to paper over the cracks.
A single unified set of laws would change that. It would make the sport simpler to promote, easier to referee and a lot more welcoming to newcomers.
We strongly welcome this consultation and encourage everyone in the walking football community to click the link below and get involved.
Have your say
If you play, coach, referee or organise walking football in any capacity, please take two minutes to complete the very short survey.
This is a genuine opportunity to shape the future of walking football and is jointly supported by both governing bodies.