Football and Health Improvement ─ An Emergent Field

There is developing interest in the use of sporting settings as a channel to connect people to health improvement services and an emerging body of research highlights football as being associated with positive motivational and social elements that support the maintenance of a physically active lifestyle. This text provides insights into a range of issues surrounding the role of football as a vehicle for health improvement for different groups.
The contributors to this volume share some of the challenges and the benefits of using professional football settings as a channel for connecting people to health improvement opportunities. These chapters will be of interest to a range of stakeholders involved in research, policy and practice who stand to benefit from building partnerships with colleagues with expertise in (I) conducting evaluation and (II) reporting evaluation and research outcomes in peer-reviewed mediums, reflecting the value of partnerships between football-led health improvement and evaluators. This book was previously published as a special issue of Soccer & Society.

Daniel Parnell is a senior lecturer in business management at Manchester Metropolitan University. His research interests cover the sport and leisure sectors within the UK and he works globally on a number of projects, in particular on the social role of sport.

Andy Pringle is Reader in physical activity, exercise and health at Leeds Beckett University. He researches the impact of physical activity and public health interventions. He is ‘Fellow’ of the Royal Society of Public Health and a Topic Expert, (physical activity) for the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.