KAREN'S STORY  
COOLUM BEACH WALKING FOOTBALL

Karen Smith is a breast cancer survivor who drives 30 minutes each way from her home in Nambour to play Walking Football every Monday at Coolum Beach.

Karen is one of nearly 700 Queenslanders of all ages who have become involved with the low-impact form of football to regain their fitness and build social connections since the program began in Queensland in 2019.

The extraordinary growth of Walking Football has been life-changing for many people who have fallen in love with the game.

Here is Karen’s Walking Football story:

“I began playing Walking Football about three years ago at Coolum, having never played soccer before in my life. My only experience of soccer was running the lines when my brother played as a junior, but that was 40+ years ago.

What I found was a great group of people who welcomed me, encouraged me and taught me the game. It’s low-impact, fun and we have a good laugh. I’m still not the world’s greatest soccer player, but my skill levels and fitness have really improved.

The great thing about playing Walking Football is you can be really competitive if you like, but you can also play socially with people who are in it for a bit of a kick-and-giggle. I tend to play with the social lot, but I also enjoy going to the competitions.

I just love it – it’s good fitness and I walk between two and three kilometres every game.

I also like the fact that the sport is mostly non-contact. Even after having surgery for breast cancer, I could return quickly and be confident I wouldn’t get injured.”