Previous Events

6th Fuse Physical Activity Pop up Workshop

  • Venue: Zoom video conference platform
  • Start: Tue, 18 May 2021 14:00:00 BST
  • End: Tue, 18 May 2021 16:30:00 BST

The Power of Football: Improving Health and Physical Activity in the Community

In the UK, the gap in health inequalities is widening.  This is particularly true in groups who are often termed marginalised.  A reluctance to engage in traditional health services, the lack of trust in health professionals or the failure of individuals to recognise that they have poor health in the first place may be amongst the reasons for health inequalities. Local football may play an integral role in closing this gap, especially in men.

The power and passion of football in local communities is often inter-generational. Some of the earliest memories of adults are of walking up the stairs of a football stadium and in the words of Sir Bobby Robson, “gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him, and without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.”  Many Club Community Organisations (CCOs) use this love to engage individuals within communities and deliver positive health messages.  Authors of the validated Men’s Health intervention “Football Fans in Training” described the power local football had in recruiting and retaining men.

This workshop focuses on how CCOs can engage marginalised audiences and deliver interventions to improve health and physical activity in the community.

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Presentations:

Paul Smith and Michael Salla

Programme:

14:00-14:05   Introduction – Prof Emma Stevenson, Deputy Dean, Newcastle University Population Health Sciences Institute.

14:05-14:25   Developing a strategic approach to research in a Football in the Community charity - Everton as a Case Study – Michael Salla, Director of Health and Sport, Everton in the Community and Andy Smith, Professor of Sport and Physical Activity, Edge Hill University.

14:25-14:55   Three local case studies (10 minutes each) – Representatives from the Foundations:

  • Foundation of Light – Health Strategy.  Liz Barton-Jones, Head of Sport and Wellbeing, Foundation of Light.
  • Middlesbrough FC Foundation – Football Fans in Training.  Paul South, Health Coordinator, Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation.
  • Newcastle United FC Foundation – Be A Game Changer.  Ashley Lowe, Health and Wellbeing Manager, Newcastle United Foundation.

14:55 -15:10    Questions and answers.

15:10-15:30     Consultation sessions (breakout rooms) - led by representatives from the Foundations and Fuse Physical Activity Group members.

  • Middlesbrough FC Foundation.  John Fothergill, Operations Manager, Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation.
  • Newcastle FC Foundation.  Ashley Lowe, Health and Wellbeing Manager, Newcastle United Foundation.
  • Foundation of Light.  Liz Barton-Jones, Head of Sport and Wellbeing, Foundation of Light.

15:30-15:40     Break

15:40-16:15     Research action planning – scoping out possible research collaborations (breakout rooms) – led by representatives from the Foundations and Fuse Physical Activity Group members.

16:15-16.30      Feedback and summary – led by representatives from the Foundations and Fuse Physical Activity Group members

 

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