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October 1, 2021
UEFA is rallying Europe’s national team coaches around a new “Coaches for Health – Feel Well, Play Well” campaign, which draws upon the support of all 55 European football associations to raise awareness of the benefits of focusing on physical activity, nutrition and mental health early in life.
Italy’s UEFA EURO 2020 winning coach, Roberto Mancini, together with his women’s national team counterpart, Milena Bertolini, and the Netherlands’ Louis van Gaal have all signed up to support the campaign.
Over the next three months, coaches from all of Europe’s men’s and women’s national teams are invited to use their influence to teach young people about the importance of making healthy choices now, prioritizing physical activity, nutrition and mental wellbeing, and avoiding substance abuse.
Michele Uva, Director of UEFA’s football and social responsibility division, announced the campaign in Slovenia at a special event celebrating the start of the European Commission’s (EC) annual European Week of Sport (23-30 September), for which UEFA is an official partner.
“Preserving health matters more than ever, both on and off the pitch. As part of our sustainability strategy, we are committed to raising awareness of the physical and mental health benefits of playing football,” said Uva, who is leading the development of a new UEFA health and wellbeing policy.
The campaign also forms as a centerpiece of UEFA’s pledge to the European Commission’s HealthyLifestyle4All campaign, which encourages organizations, civil society and public authorities to promote the long-term benefits of sport and healthy lifestyles.
In this initial pilot phase of the initiative, the men’s and women’s coaches of five associations – Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Slovenia – will deliver educational messages through 10-30 second videos. They will then promote these videos across their main communication channels.
UEFA messages were created in consultation with Italian NGO Insieme contro il Cancro (Together against Cancer), which provided scientific guidance identifying the campaign’s four key areas of focus: physical activity, nutrition, mental health and substance abuse, particularly alcohol and tobacco abuse.
In his ideo for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Mancini states: “Be active and play sports for at least 60 minutes every day. You will feel stronger, more dynamic, more energetic, like true champions.”
UEFA will use lessons learned from the pilot phase to finetune Coaches for Health – Feel Well, Play Well, ready for its pan-European launch to all 55 associations in October or November.
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