For Spencer Pratten, slowing down did not mean stepping away from soccer.

The 71-year-old grandfather from Great Waltham, near Chelmsford in Essex, has been named walking soccer’s top international player after captaining England’s over-60s side to three major titles. Pratten, a semi-retired chartered surveyor and lifelong West Ham fan, has also led Chelmsford City and says he would like to see the sport reach the Olympics.

Pratten played semi-professional soccer for more than 20 years and carried on in veterans soccer until he was about 60. He turned to walking soccer about 10 years ago after finding 11-a-side too physical.

“11-a-side was getting a bit physical by that time,” Pratten said.

“But walking soccer is nothing like people portray. They think it’s old men stumbling around, but it’s energetic and fun. All I wanted to do was carry on playing soccer, albeit at a slower pace.”

He joined the England squad in 2018 and captained the team in its first match that year at the Amex Stadium in Brighton against Italy.

Pratten then led England to victory in the first European Nations Cup in about 2021, before the team won the first World Cup at St George’s Park with a 3-1 win over France in the final. In October last year, England beat Ireland 1-0 in Spain to win a second World Cup.

“There’s only been three major competitions and we’ve won all three,” Pratten said.

He has now captained England over-60s in 55 matches and scored 44 goals.

Pratten was compared with Lionel Messi after receiving the player award, but he said the resemblance starts and ends with height. He joked that he and the Argentina great are both about 170 centimetres tall.

“I’m still getting my head around it,” he said.

“I’m definitely Messi, that’s what my partner Claire says I’m like around the house, anyway. I’m also a short arse… Both Lionel Messi and me are 5 feet 7 inches, so I’m more like Messi than Ronaldo. It is a nice label to have, though.”

The Walking Football Association divides players into age groups by decade, including people in their 50s, 60s and 70s. Matches are played on pitches about a quarter the size of a full soccer field.

The sport has three main rules. Players must walk and not run, there is no physical contact, and the ball must stay below head height.

Pratten spent eight years with Chelmsford City’s over-60s team and has recently moved into the over-70s side. He said that squad still includes five players in their 80s.

The game has grown quickly. England has more than 1,200 walking soccer clubs, and it is now played in 88 countries. Pratten said England had an early lead because the sport started there.

“Because it started in England, we were probably three or four years ahead of the game,” he said.

“It’s an incredible sport, but it’s the camaraderie and health, both mental and physical, that’s just brilliant for people in their 60s and 70s. It’s a very inclusive game. It’s like being back at school, with the banter and ribbing, which is what we miss most about soccer.”

“Soccer has been a huge part of my life and now it continues to be.”

Pratten said walking soccer gave him a way back into the game after he had to stop playing.

“Walking soccer has changed my life. Everybody’s got something they loved but you get to an age where it fades out,” he said.

“Soccer is my real love and when I had to stop playing, it was a real shock.”

“But walking soccer came along and has opened up a whole new spectrum for people like me. My advice to anybody who’s missing the game and wants to get back into fitness is to go on the WFA website, find a club and give them a ring. If you’re over 50, you’ve got 20 or 25 years more soccer ahead of you.”

He also believes the sport could one day make it to the Olympics.

“It’s not an Olympic sport yet, but looking at some Olympic sports, I wouldn’t be surprised if it did become one,” Pratten said. I would like to see it as an Olympic sport.”

Paul Carr, founder and president of the Federation of International Walking Football Associations, said Pratten stood out at the recent World Nations Cup.

“Having seen a number of excellent walking footballers at the recent World Nations Cup, our view was that Spencer by far was the best,” Carr said.

“The sport was only invented 13 years ago, but it’s now being played in 88 countries, which is pretty amazing.”