Smokefree Sidelines initiative in Berks & Bucks

Smokefree Sidelines is a new exciting collaboration between Berks & Bucks FA, Buckinghamshire Council's Public Health department and the Public Health departments of local authorities within Berkshire.

This initiative is well established in a number of different areas already including Oxfordshire, Norfolk, Hull and Lancashire.

As the governing body of football in the region, we aim to introduce a culture of Smokefree Sidelines across Berks & Bucks, to encourage harm reduction to those exposed to smoking.

Children and young people are at risk the more they are exposed to smoke and the acceptance of smoking in our society.

Furthermore, young people are most at risk of becoming smokers themselves if they grow up in communities where smoking is the norm. One approach to tackle this is to make places where children and young people regularly visit smoke-free.

Smoking remains the biggest cause of preventable deaths in Berkshire & Buckinghamshire and we know smoking often starts as a childhood addiction.

The move for clubs to adopt a Smokefree Sidelines Policy complements existing club policies and supports your clubs desire to create a healthy family-friendly environment. We believe that such an environment and image will be valuable in attracting new members and positively promoting the club within your local community.

Together we aim to:

• Work collectively and individually, to actively promote Smokefree Sidelines to provide healthy, safe places that give everyone a chance to perform at their best in their chosen sport or activity.
• To educate members of your club including children and young people about the dangers of smoking and the short- and long-term health consequences of smoking.
• Support smokers to know where they can access help to quit smoking.

Adopting Smokefree Sidelines is not about targeting smokers unfairly, but more about asking current smokers to be aware of their visibility to children who may see them smoking.

The idea is to encourage smokers to either refrain from smoking during the match or to move away from the sidelines, and smoke where children and young adults are not present.

As a sports club involved in creating positive environments for wellbeing, we want to help you to support your members and supporters who want to consider quitting. This is done through ongoing promotion and development as active role models to the children and young people involved in your club.