Network Announces 2nd European Healthy Stadia Conference - 18th October

The European Healthy Stadia Network is very proud to announce the hosting of its second European Conference later this year. The conference will be held on 18th October at the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City FC, and will showcase examples of Healthy Stadia good practice from governing bodies of sport, clubs and stadia across Europe.

Keynote speakers have already been confirmed by representatives from:

• UEFA
• London 2012 Olympics
• English Premier League
• World Heart Federation
• Scoring for Health (Holland)
• Aviva Stadium

To register for the reduced early-bird conference rate, please go to: www.regonline.co.uk/healthystadia

To view presentations from the 1st European Healthy Stadia Conference, please click here

To read the 2009 Conference Report and Evaluation, please click here

If you would like to discus submission of a workshop abstract or presentation poster for this event, or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Matthew Philpott: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it     or +44 151 9287820

Further information has now been released on RESPECT Your Health, UEFA’s official health programme for the EURO 2012 European Football Championships, including details of a 'European Youth Camp' involving children from all 53 UEFA nations.

RESPECT Your Health will run in the eight host cities in Poland and Ukraine in the build up to the tournament, with the aim of improving levels of health literacy, affecting lifestyle behaviour change, and increasing community involvement in social and sports activities. The programme is coordinated by development through football organisation streetfootballworld, and supported by a host of partners including the European Healthy Stadia Network and World Heart Federation.

Healthy lifestyle education focussing on smoking prevention, healthy eating, responsible alcohol consumption and increased physical activity will be delivered by coaches as part of football and sports training sessions, and a specialist healthy lifestyle training handbook has been developed to assist coaches in their delivery. A full briefing paper on the programme and participating partners is available below, which includes links to the healthy lifestyle training handbook, RESPECT Your Health website, and information on a post-tournament ‘European Youth Camp’ involving children from all 53 UEFA nations.

To view the RESPECT Your Health briefing paper, please click here

If you or your organisation would like further details on the programme or feel that you could contribute to raising the profile of this work, please contact Matthew Philpott from Healthy Stadia ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Kristina Gawriljuk from streetfootballworld ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and we will be happy to help.

Smoke Free Stadia Pilot to Run with Lancashire CCC and Saints RLFC

A new smoking cessation pilot project developed by the European Healthy Stadia Network and heart health charity Heart of Mersey is set to roll out this Spring at two of the North West’s most iconic stadia – Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket Club, and Langtree Park, the brand new stadium of St Helens Rugby League Club. The project will utilise the expertise of tobacco control specialists within Heart of Mersey (parent charity of the European Healthy Stadia Network), and has kindly been supported by Pfizer.

The project’s main aim is to train stadia stewards in smoking cessation brief intervention techniques to engage fans on matchday who are interested in quitting. It is anticipated that there will be strong opportunities to speak to smokers at Old Trafford as smoking is still allowed in designated areas inside the stadium, whilst stewards will be able to engage with smokers on the approach to and outside Langtree Park. Stewards will be equipped with simple tips and advice on how to start reducing and stop smoking, and information on referral to local stop smoking services that will be supported by social marketing materials. In addition to training stewards for matchday activities, the project will also skill-up community coaches and key members of stadia staff to act as stop smoking champions within community projects and the stadium workforce.

A specialist brief interventions training package is currently being developed that will be informed through insight work with stadia staff and fans, whilst a social marketing campaign will be created to give the project a unifying campaign identity and provide targeted materials for use at stadia and community venues. The project is set to launch in early June to coincide with the both the cricket and rugby league seasons.

Speaking about the project and its potential, Matthew Philpott, Programme Lead for the European Healthy Stadia Network, said:

“We are very excited about working with Lancashire County Cricket Club and St Helens Rugby League Club on this innovative smokefree stadia project in association with Pfizer. Whilst the UK’s enclosed stadia have been subject to smokefree legislation since 2007, there are significant opportunities to engage fans on matchday who might be interested in reducing or quitting smoking, both outside and, in some cases, inside stadia. Sports stadia in the region offer an ideal setting to deliver brief interventions owing to the crossover between men attending live sports fixtures and the high number of males who smoke in the North West of England, whilst we hope this training will also translate to community and stadia workplace settings through stop smoking champions within the clubs.”

For more information please contact, Matthew Philpott:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

+44 151 928 7820

This project is supported by Pfizer Limited

The final newsletter from the European Healthy Stadia Network is now available to view online.

Key articles in this edition include:

• Active Travel Routes Open for London 2012

• EURO 2012 Roundup – RESPECT Your Health, Tobacco-Free Tournament

• Network Publishes New Academic Paper in Health Promotion International

• European Partner Updates – Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland

• Mental health and smoking cessation training piloted

To view the newsletter, please click through to:

European Healthy Stadia Newsletter December 2011