News & EventsLatest NewsCalendar
Smokefree Sidelines

Smokefree Sidelines

Burghfield FC12 Apr 2023 - 21:30
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.burghfieldfootball

A reminder of the initiative the club are a part of - aiming to introduce a culture of smoke free sidelines at all youth football matches.

Last year we signed up to the Smokefree Sidelines initiative, a collaboration between Berkshire Public Health and Wellbeing Departments, Public Protection Partnership and the Bucks & Berks Football Association (FA), aiming to introduce a culture of smoke free sidelines, and encourage harm reduction to those exposed to smoking.

Smoking remains the biggest cause of preventable deaths in Berkshire, and is known to increase health inequalities within our society. 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 address this is to promote outside spaces used by children and young people as voluntary smoke and vape free areas.

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.

Our decision to adopt the Smokefree Sidelines Policy supports our desire to create a healthy family-friendly environment, that gives everyone a chance to perform at their best. We also hope that it will help educate members, including children and young people, about the dangers of smoking and the short and long-term health consequences of smoking.

Further reading