The Stratford Sloths Walking Soccer Club started in 2021 as a response to limited opportunities for older soccer players during the pandemic. Now with a membership of dozens of players from Stratford and area, the club is a volunteer-run and non-profit organization that hopes to attract new players to the sport – particularly those who have stopped playing soccer, those who have limited opportunities for physical activity and those in underserved communities.

The Sloths are one of handful of founding walking soccer clubs in Ontario, helping to grow the sport through building the associated capacity to provide walking soccer to more people hosting and participating in tournaments, community outreach and capacity-building. The Sloths compete in tournaments throughout the year and have three players on Canada’s National Walking Soccer Team.