by Sarah Shaffi

sshaffi@thekmgroup.co.uk

A campaign to get smokers to stub out the habit has been launched aimed specifically at footballers and fans of the beautiful game.

Medway Stop Smoking Service, part of the NHS Medway, has launched Smokefree United, an online campaign to help people give up the habit.

According to Chris Ford from the service, football is an ideal medium to get the no-smoking message across and encourage smokers to give up.

He said football attracts many young fans who may be smokers or tempted to smoke and a lot of casual footballers have fallen foul of the habit.

“We want to reach people who smoke in a way they understand and are interested in, and football allows us to do that,” said Mr Ford, a former smoker.

“It’s a massive part of people’s lives and we’ll be emphasising the fact that giving up will help people enjoy their game more.

“A lot of people who play football casually do smoke and we want to target them. Giving up

smoking will make their game better.”

The campaign is supported by the Medway Messenger and we will track the progress of smokers taking part and talking to medical experts and footballers.

Those wanting to quit can sign up to a group at www.nhs.uk/smokefreeunited to be sent hints on quitting, information on how to get one-to-one sessions with an advisor, and details about support groups.

Members can represent the football team they support on the Smokefree United League.

A table will be published on the website and the more quitters a team has, the higher they will rank in the league table.

Mr Ford said: “The idea is to look at footballers and fans from the top of the game in Medway at Gillingham Football Club then down to reach people playing in smaller leagues and just having a kickabout in the park.”

The campaign has the backing of Gillingham Football Club and top striker Simeon Jackson, a non-smoker, who said: “I’d urge all football fans and players who have thought about quitting to sign up for Smokefree United.

“Quitting smoking will have a huge impact on your game and you’ll immediately become more competitive because your cardiovascular fitness will improve, increasing the amount of time you’ll be able to spend on the pitch.”

Medway Stop Smoking Service helped 1,700 people give up in 2008 and it is hoped this campaign will introduce more people to its free services.

Footballers will be targeted at all levels, from those who like watching the game to players in Sunday leagues, casual players and women’s teams.

Medway has a higher than average smoking rate, with 31 per cent of adults partaking in the habit, compared to 22 per cent in the South East and 21 per cent in England.