Biking to UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 with the World Heart Federation

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04 Jul, 2017

We've long been fans of cycling for tranSPORT, cycling to sport, and even now and then cycling as a sport, as long as you're doing it yourself! As ECF’s health policy officer I'm not really a big fan of major sports events. That’s first and foremost because they involve masses of people sitting down passively consuming physical activity done by others. So it's a real joy to hear what our friend Matthew and his Healthy Stadia team has cooked up with together with UEFA and the World Heart Federation.

Here’s what they have to say [original article]:

Fans and staff travelling to UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 fixtures in the Netherlands are being encouraged to walk and cycle to host stadia in a bid to boost heart health, burn calories and protect the environment.

Thousands of fans, including women, children and families from all over Europe, will travel to the Netherlands this summer for UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 all eager to see a festival of football.

Interest in women’s football has grown enormously over the past decade, but this growth in the professional game has not been matched with an increase in physical activity amongst women across Europe.

Often the easiest way to be active is to walk or cycle as part of your everyday lifestyle. Therefore, the European Healthy Stadia Network, in partnership with UEFA and the World Heart Federation, has developed a mobile app to encourage fans and staff attending UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 matches to consider walking or cycling to host stadia in order to boost activity levels, and present Active Travel as a viable means of transportation for supporters on a matchday.

The free-to-use Active Match App will provide users with directions and mapping to host venues plus information on where bicycle locking facilities are located at each stadium.

The App technology will detect any journey taken to matches by bike or on foot, and upon arrival at host venues users will receive information on their distance travelled, calories burned and CO₂emissions saved. Each successful journey or part-journey on foot or by bicycle will also enter participants into a prize draw to win official tournament footballs and tickets to the Final in Enschede on Sunday 6^th August, including one pair of VIP Tickets.

Peter Gilliéron, Chairman of the UEFA Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee, commented:

“UEFA is committed to helping people from all over Europe look after their heart and lead healthier lifestyles. By demonstrating that walking and cycling are viable modes of transport on a matchday, we hope to provide more opportunities for fans to leave their car at home, which will not only be of great benefit to their health but also complement UEFAS’ sustainability agenda, by reducing O2 emissions”

Dr. Matthew Philpott, Executive Director of the European Healthy Stadia Network said:

“Many international sporting mega-events have focussed too heavily on encouraging people to be physically active after a tournament has concluded, as part of building a positive legacy. We hope that the App will foster an ‘active’ culture, encouraging both fans and tournament staff to choose walking and cycling as the default choice for all shorter journeys. Download the Active Match App today and share your experiences with the hashtag #ActiveMatchApp!”