Project Summary
There is a growing concern among policy makers and sport stakeholders that doping outside the elite sporting system is an expanding and problematic phenomenon, giving rise to the belief that the misuse of doping agents in recreational sport has become a societal problem and a public health concern. Whereas the latter is happening at high level, the same level of awareness is missing among amateur football players representing a major issue if we consider the social harm and impact upon both users and sport communities doping abuse might create.
The use of drugs in football is not widely associated with the sport because of lack of evidence, unlike individual sports such as cycling, weight-lifting, and track and field. Much closer collaboration and further investigation is needed with regard to banned substances, detection methods, and data collection.This project seeks to address these various issues through a series of key actions:Key Action 1: Understand the problem/evaluate the current situation (investigation) in the European Local/grassroots football clubsKey Action 2: Creation of value-based education materials (based on Key Action 1)Key Action 3: Creation of guidelines for “anti-doping coaches” who act like ambassador in the fight against doping.Key Action 4: Anti-Doping Code of Conduct for Amateur Grassroots Football.
This project will be the first educational tool to meet the anti-doping education standardization criteria. In fact, the project aims to contribute to the development of these new standards (especially in respect of grassroots football). Thus, the proposed project is the first of its kind, in terms of providing a sport-specific educational material that will be delivered to grassroots level footballers and meet the anti-doping education standardization criteria.
European Survey
https://www.keepfootballclean.eu
