15 Dec UEFA Contract Win for Healthy Stadia
The European Healthy Stadia Network has recently been awarded a four-year partnership agreement by UEFA’s Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee as a result of a competitive tender process for Health Consultancy Services.
Healthy Stadia has worked as an associate partner of UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility portfolio since 2010, providing guidance, training and project management services on public health issues such as the implementation of Tobacco-Free stadia policies, promoting walking and cycling to sports stadia and supporting bespoke multi-national health campaigns such as ‘A Healthy Heart Your Goal’ which operated during UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 this summer.
The new contract underlines UEFA’s commitment to creating matchday and tournament environments which enable the promotion of healthy lifestyles, not just with UEFA club competition finals, but also UEFA’s development tournaments. This approach is very much in keeping with the concept of Healthy Stadia, which states:
“Healthy Stadia are… those which promote the health and wellbeing of visitors, fans, players, employees and the surrounding community… places where people can go to have a positive healthy experience playing or watching sport.”
Healthy Stadia will continue to work in close cooperation with UEFA, collaborate with UEFA Member Associations, Clubs and Stadia administration to develop health-promoting policies and practices at UEFA matches and conduct communications campaigns to encourage all stakeholders to make healthy choices; inside and outside of sports stadia.
In order to facilitate this, Healthy Stadia has outlined a number of key areas for action during the next cycle:
- Encourage stadia to adopt Tobacco-Free Stadia policies
- Support Football Venues to provide Healthier Catering options
- Promote Active Lifestyles to Fans, Staff and Local Communities
- Coordinate support for European and global health campaigns amongst the European Football Family
Healthy Stadia will also continue to grow our network both within the football family, but also through attracting support from public health agencies and academic institutions in UEFA Member Association countries to provide additional support and context-specific information and guidance in the adoption of health-promoting policies and practices.
To learn more about UEFA’s revised social responsibility strategy and the other partners involved in the portfolio, click here.
