Former football legends join up with NHS to launch new anti-smoking campaign

01/12/2009 - Manchester

Football legends, including Ian Wright, Andy Townsend, John Barnes and Gianfranco Zola have come together to promote Smokefree United.

Smokefree United is a new, virtual online football club, developed by digital agency Reading Room, providing advice and coaching for football fans and players to encourage them to give up smoking.

Football fans and players signing up to Smokefree United will be able to join the heated debate over smoking and controversial football issues with Andy Townsend and other supporters. Those signed up will even receive emails from Ian Wright encouraging them to stop smoking.

Supporters will also get the chance to win once-in-a-life-time prizes including a talkSPORT party, and the chance to play on their favourite footy teams pitch.

New research on behalf of the NHS Stop Smoking Service says 41 per cent of male smokers in England play football and over 80% of them are concerned about the effect smoking has on their performance.

Smokefree United is keen to tackle this by highlighting that after only a week of quitting your performance on the field can improve.

From Sky News, former England midfielder John Barnes quotes, "Football is media-attentive and a high-profile campaign like this can highlight the positive effects of giving up smoking."

Some football Fans have even taken the notion of the virtual Smokefree United into the real world. Fans near Hampshire have formed the AFC Smokefree football team, managed by Kris Serjent, a local NHS Stop Smoking Service adviser, who started the team to help local men help each other to quit smoking. Team member Chris Sadler said: "My children have a lot of energy and when I was smoking it was getting to the point where I couldn't keep up with them. Now I can - and we've all noticed a difference."

Visit the Smokefree United website