Recognition for SPFL Trusts ‘Football Fans in Training’
The SPFL’s ‘Football Fans in Training’ (FFIT) programme has proven to be a huge success with recent recognition from the NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens being the latest acknowledgement of the impact of the programme.
The programme was first piloted in 2010 and is funded by the Scottish Government with a view to encouraging men and women who have a waist size of 38+ to take on a programme behind the scenes at their local SPFL club letting them train in the stadium and inspiring them to get fit and live a healthier, more active life.
Through practical tasks and moderate physical exercise (including walking), participants are guided towards a healthier lifestyle with the motivation of being part of their club a key factor in the programme’s success.
FFIT was developed by the SPFL Trust in partnership with the University of Glasgow and such has been the success of the programme, it’s now been licensed to several clubs in England, most recently Blackpool FC.
Simon Stevens said that rolling out the scheme in England will help cut type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related problems including heart disease and several types of cancer, relieving pressure on the NHS.
And as the NHS prepares to publish a long-term plan that will have a renewed focus on prevention, he said GPs should consider referring supporters to the scheme as part of the growing move toward ‘social prescribing’.
The chief executive of NHS England said: “Obesity is a public health emergency and tackling it needs to be a team effort.
“Football clubs are the centre of communities across England and using them to encourage fans to get fit is a great idea that can produce real results.
“As the NHS prepares to publish a long-term plan that will include a renewed focus on prevention, GPs should consider whether schemes like this can help patients live fitter, healthier lives – and take pressure off on NHS services.”
In England, the FFIT is currently available at Swindon Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Charlton.
SPFL Trust chief executive Nicky Reid warmly welcomed the remarks from Mr Stevens and revealed that conversations around further rollouts continue.
“We are delighted to see how successful Football Fans in Training has been at several EFL clubs,” she said.
“We are continuing to explore ways we can expand this role out, and give more supporters an opportunity to become healthier and happier.
“FFIT has demonstrated its life-changing effects, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the vital support from the Scottish Government and the NHS in Scotland.”
Mike Evans, Director of Operations at the EFL Trust said: “The EFL Trust is committed to improving the lives of people within EFL communities across country and Football Fans in Training is proven to be a great way to get people to think about sustainable changes to improve their lives.
“We are proud of the work in our EFL clubs in this area so far and hope to do more to address this important challenge going forward.”
FFIT is the only evidence-based program of its kind.
Experts at the University of Glasgow, who studied the programme’s Scottish roll-out, said the men taking part had lost more than nine times as much weight as those who had not done the programme.
Men who followed FFIT in Scotland saw improvements to their health and wellbeing, with two in five maintaining a weight loss of at least 5% of their original body weight a year later.
Further information from research conducted by the University of Glasgow into the original programme was released back in September 2018 and there were some impressive findings
The long-term research involved 488 men from 13 clubs and when measured three-and-a-half years after the start of the original trial, participants had continued to hold off much of their baseline weight, maintaining a drop of 2.5%. Participants also continued to eat more fruit and vegetables, less fatty food, less sugary food and take smaller portions.
They also reported lasting improvements in psychological health, including continued improved self-esteem which was first acknowledged during their FFIT participation.
Other key statistics from the men and women’s programmes delivered from 2014-2017 included:
- Participation of 4,718 men and women since 2012 until August 2018)
- 72% of participants completed the full programme
- The average age for men was 47
- The average age for women was 46
After 12 weeks:
- The total weight loss was 25,088 Kg
- There was an average body weight loss of 8%
- There was a total waist reduction of 33,177cm
- The average waist reduction was 10cm
At the time, Dr Cindy Gray, Senior Lecturer in Health Behaviour Change on behalf of the University of Glasgow commented: “FFIT has been shown to be successful in delivering the long-term weight, physical activity and dietary improvements that are essential to help people reduce their future risk of ill health.
“The fact that we found very little difference between men who took part in our research deliveries and those that took part in standard deliveries of FFIT, means there is no reason to believe that people taking part in current and future deliveries can’t achieve the same excellent long-term results.”
The 13 clubs involved in the long-term follow up are:
- Celtic
- Rangers
- St Mirren
- Kilmarnock
- Hamilton
- Motherwell
- Heart of Midlothian
- Hibernian
- Dunfermline Athletic
- St Johnstone
- Dundee United
- Aberdeen
- Inverness Caledonian Thistle
The methodology of the EFDN programme Active Fans, currently running across 7 European countries, is largely based on FFIT, with some tweaks to suit the local cultures of the different countries involved.
Football fans in training
