F-MARC’s first studies in African countries had proven that the programme:

• significantly increases the health knowledge of children
• is enjoyed by the children, they would recommend it to best friend
• can be implemented in different ways according to the situation in a country

Therefore, the programme was promoted at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ using eleven popular players as ambassadors. Further, it was decided to role out the “11 for Health” on the continent right after the event as the most important legacy to Africa: health.

For the implementation in individual countries, the following points are important:

• While the programme is universally applicable, individual messages can be adapted to the situation in a specific country.
• The partners for implementation may differ in different countries, and have to be determined to fit optimally with the local conditions: FIFA member associations, NGOs, Ministries of Health, Education, Youth, Sports etc. This is a continuous learning process.
• All teachers and coaches should come from the respective community and are educated in a 5-day training programme prior to implementing the programme.
• A comprehensive ‘11 for Health’ guidance manual provides further details for reference.

Health message	Football skill	Risk factors influenced
Play football (physical exercise)	Playing football	High blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, physical inactivity
Respect girls and women	Passing	Unsafe sex
Protect yourself from HIV	Heading	Unsafe sex
Avoid drugs and alcohol	Dribbling	Use of alcohol, tobacco
Use treated bed nets	Shielding	Malaria
Wash your hands	Defending	Poor sanitation and hygiene
Drink clean water	Trapping	Contaminated water supply
Eat a balanced diet	Building fitness	Under and overweight, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake
Vaccinate yourself and your family	Shooting	Inadequate health protection
Take your prescribed medication	Goalkeeping	Inadequate health protection
Fair play	Teamwork	Family and social support

 

References
New article by Fuller CW, et al, British Journal of Sports Medicine 2011.