£5 million for European Football Fans to get Fit
Over £5 million has been awarded to an eleven strong consortium, led by the University of Glasgow, to develop and evaluate a European wide programme to help male football fans become more active, less sedentary and improve their diets in a sustainable way. Twenty million fans attend top division football games each week across Europe and many more watch on TV. A new EU-funded Health project will work with top football clubs from across the continent to encourage fans to take up healthier lifestyles. The project, called 'EuroFIT' will attract men to lifestyle change through the personal connection and loyalty to the team they support. Groups of football fans will be encouraged to take part in a tailored fitness and lifestyle programme with their own football club, receiving tips about how to boost their exercise, sit down less and improve their diets. The project is building on the successful Football Fans in Training model which has run for three seasons in Scotland. The model seeks to encourage healthy weight loss and fitness that can be sustained over the long term. In the 2010-11 season alone, 412 men shed 2,300kg of weight and lost 2400 cm from their collective waist measurements.
