Smoke-free football match hits back of the net in Rochdale

Bridge Juniors Football Club players

Rochdale’s Smokefree Sports pilot kicked-off with its first match at Bridge Juniors Football Club on Saturday 4 February.

Parents and coaches who smoke were asked to watch from the side lines without lighting up in a bid to promote healthy behaviour to children.

The match was widely supported by parents who called for ‘more children’s sports events to be smoke-free.’ Many parents, club staff and children signed a smoke-free sports pledge at the club to support the campaign.

Representatives of Healthier Futures, a local social enterprise which has developed the campaign, were on hand with the council’s stop smoking service providing information about the positives of healthy, shared community spaces for families, and the negative impact of smoking on children’s health.

Bridge Juniors Football Club secretary, Barry Woodburn, said: “The Smokefree Sports pilot scheme has been widely supported throughout the club by all of our volunteer staff, parents, wider family members and children of all ages.

“The pilot scheme has been really successful and I hope other sports clubs will now implement a smoke free policy so all children can benefit from more smoke free spaces.”

Councillor Janet Emsley, Rochdale Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, health and wellbeing, said: “It was fantastic to see so many parents and coaches really getting behind this smoke-free initiative and being positive role models for our children.

"Playing sports is a brilliant way to stay fit and healthy but we all know smoking is extremely harmful, the two just don’t mix.

"This scheme is a giant leap towards encouraging generations of healthy and happy children who can play together in a smoke free borough. I hope to see more and more sports clubs protecting our young people by going smoke free.”

Andres Crossfield, chief executive of Healthier Futures, said: “This is a positive step forward which will help to promote healthy behaviour to children and create more family-friendly spaces.

“The more spaces that become smokefree, the less likely children are to take up smoking – preventing them from entering into a deadly addiction that kills one in two long-term smokers.”