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New Walking Rugby group for Wharfedale

Sunday, 8 February 2026 12:00

Wharfedale Wanders team photo

A new men's Walking Rugby group has formed to offer the opportunity for those interested in the game to enjoy playing into later life.

It’s a great new form of the traditional sport as it’s safe, creates companionship for older men and is ideal for those who have never been involved in rugby before as well as for enthusiasts.

Its popularity across the country is also growing rapidly with Walking Rugby festivals starting to spring up across the North and Midlands, this format of the game is ideal for reasonably active retirees as there is no tackling involved and, as the name suggests, there is no running. Instead "tackles" are made by making a two handed touch on the attacking player's body and as there are no scrums or line-outs the ball is turned over between the 2 competing sides when there is a forward pass or a knock-on. Plus you don’t need to be an expert in the rules of the game so it’s perfect for beginners and it’s a good way to keep fit. As with all forms of rugby, the walking version also offers the chance to socialise with others and make new friendships.

The group came about when the Wharfedale Men's Shed in Otley started talking about rugby at one of their sessions. As memories of the game were shared, someone then had the bright idea of seeing whether there was enough interest in the area to have a weekly Walking Rugby session.

Since this initial conversation, regular meeting now take place at the Village Hall in Pool from 4.30pm to 5.30pm every Monday, with some held outdoors and a match against a team from York has taken place

Robert Burnett one of the founders of the new group said:

"With 3 mainstream rugby clubs, including Ilkley, along this part of  Wharfedale, we were sure plenty of retired rugby players and supporters of the game would be delighted to try this simpler non-contact format. In fact, we believe this a first for the area as we understand the nearest other team is York. We have not been disappointed and have had sufficient interest to run regular training sessions and to organise a fixture with our nearest team. To reflect the wide area from which we aim to attract players, the team has been called the Wharfedale Wanderers"

Tony said:

“I am really enjoying part of a team again” and Stephen joined in to say “how much he was benefiting from developing his hand eye co-ordination and fitness”.

Robert added:

"We have now moved our training get togethers in-doors for the winter and are currently meeting every Monday. Anyone who enjoys throwing a ball around can join us, whether  they have previously played rugby or not . We are looking to build our numbers as this will give us the possibility to enter the Walking Rugby festivals  happening across the North and Midlands, and if things go well, we may even be able to field 2 teams."

Anyone wanting further information is asked to please call Robert on 0754 7543171.    

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