European Healthy Stadia Network
A collaboration between the World Heart Federation and the European Healthy Stadia Network is set to increase the number of sports stadia involved in promoting healthy lifestyles and by doing so, help reduce incidence of heart disease and stroke amongst fans, stadia staff and local communities.
The European Healthy Stadia Network is coordinated by Liverpool (UK) based cardiovascular disease prevention charity, Heart of Mersey. It has supported sports stadia across Europe to become healthier environments to both visit and work in for over five years. The Network builds upon a highly successful pilot project, funded by the European Commission, that has worked in eight European countries to help stadia plan, develop and evaluate healthy initiatives with the support of local service providers. The Network already has over 150 member organisations, including many famous clubs and stadia, such as Liverpool FC, AC and Inter Milan, FC Sevilla, Lord’s Cricket Ground and the Finnair Stadium in Helsinki.
Sports stadia offer an excellent setting to support the delivery of public health interventions, in particular those relating to cardiovascular disease. Such interventions are of benefit to our wider communities, whilst supporting the corporate objectives of individual stadia, and can include initiatives such as promoting increased physical activity, healthier diets and tobacco free environments.
In its role as official health partner for UEFA, the World Heart Federation will part-fund the European Healthy Stadia Network over the remainder of 2010 to engage new sports clubs and key stakeholders from the complementary areas of sport and health.