Europe to spend 5 million pounds on football fans' health

Over five million pounds have been awarded to an 11 strong consortium, led by the University of Glasgow, to develop and evaluate a European wide program 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, a press release said here on Wednesday.

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 2400cm from their collective waist measurements.In Scotland, the program is run in partnership with the Scottish SPFL.

Professor Sally Wyke, Principal Investigator and Deputy Director, Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow said: "We know that men, particularly, are much less likely than women to use existing opportunities for lifestyle change.Football is a real draw for many men, and increasingly also for female supporters. The commitment many feel to their clubs and the opportunity to train with other fans to be healthier is a real bonus for them.This project is extremely exciting and ambitious - it could be adapted for all sorts of other groups, and lead to positive lifestyle changes in men, their families and wider social networks across Europe".

EuroFIT is funded by the European Union's 7th Research Framework Program.It is supported by several leading professional football clubs including Arsenal, Benfica and FC Porto.