‘Football saved Dad’s life’: meet the coach of the England women’s Parkinson’s team

<p>It began with getting her dad into walking football after his diagnosis – now Gemma Darvill is taking a national team on tour to Canada</p><p>When Gemma Darvill’s dad, Les, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease aged 58, joining a walking football team stopped him from confining himself to his own home, and she believes the game saved his life.</p><p>What she could never have foreseen was that, eight years later, she would find herself coaching <a href="https://www.instagram.com/england_parkinsons_ladies_wfc/">the first England women’s Parkinson’s team</a>, helping transform the lives of women with the disease from all across the country. She is set to embark on a journey to Toronto to help spread awareness of the ways in which walking football can help put the brakes on the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/10/football-saved-dads-life-meet-the-coach-of-the-england-womens-parkinsons-team">Continue reading...</a>