Alcohol education charity Drinkaware has become the research partner of walking football in Scotland, supported by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and Walking Football Scotland.
The partnership, announced recently at Lesser Hampden in Glasgow, extends Drinkaware’s involvement in walking football north of the border and builds on its existing walking football partnership with Derby County FC
Walking football is a slower-paced version of the beautiful game for the over-50s, and used as a way of improving their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Through the partnership, Drinkaware will be gathering vital information from walking football participants on their health and alcohol consumption, allowing them to monitor participants’ drinking habits and subsequently try to improve them.
Drinkaware will also be distributing information on drinking and its effects on health to Walking Football participants in order to educate them on the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption and the benefits of regular exercise.
At the launch, Drinkaware Chief Executive Elaine Hindal said, “Drinkaware is delighted to be partnering with the Scottish Football Association.
“Walking football is an increasingly popular way for older people to improve their health and wellbeing. Their physical fitness and mental health improve, they gain a new group of friends to counter social isolation and, on the way, they will generally cut back on their drinking.”
“Building on our previous successes with walking football in England, this partnership is a fantastic new opportunity which allows us to work directly with communities across Scotland to help people make better choices about their drinking.”
Scottish FA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell said, “The health benefits of both responsible, informed drinking and increasing participation in sport are obvious. We are extremely pleased to welcome Drinkaware on board to both help to grow walking football in Scotland and improve knowledge and awareness of responsible drinking.”
Former Scotland Team Manager and walking football ambassador Craig Brown added, “Walking Football is a fantastic way for people of my generation, who are perhaps no longer able to play at a quick pace, to participate in this wonderful sport and remain active.”
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Notes to editors
Drinkaware has supported the Derby County Community Trust’s walking football scheme for over a year and sponsored a Walking Football Tournament in Derby in the summer. Over the 2017/18 season, more than 4,500 walking football sessions were delivered to players across Derbyshire.
Drinkaware is an independent UK-wide, alcohol education charity with the objective of positively changing public behaviour and the national drinking culture. It aims to reduce alcohol misuse and minimise harm by helping people make better choices about their drinking. It achieves this by providing impartial, evidence-based information, advice and practical resources; raising awareness of alcohol and its harms and by working collaboratively with partners, including the medical community, public health, third sector organisations, local authorities, police and the drinks industry.
Drinkaware has more than 120 funders, including UK alcohol producers, retailers in the on-trade and off-trade and wholesalers.
For further information visit www.drinkaware.co.uk
For further information: Ros Shiel: ros@shielporter.com or 07841 694137
John Porter: john@shielporter.com or 07734 054389