News

Men’s Health to get a Boost



After it success as a pilot, the Sky Blues in the Community project ‘InForm’ has received a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to embed it in Coventry for the next 5 years. The Big Lottery Fund is the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding across the UK.  The Fund aims to enable others to make real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need. InForm is a project aimed at men living in Coventry and essentially uses football to engage, encourage and support men in looking after their health and well-being.

The InForm project has a number of different approaches to supporting men in Coventry – including weekly football sessions and many community based events. The main body of the project delivers free weekly football sessions at different venues across the city. These sessions are run by professional FA qualified coaches and also offer informal advice and key information about different health related topics.

The first 12 months of the project proved very popular, with 96 men aged between 18 and 52 years attending weekly sessions. Headline statistics saw 77% of participants improve their cardiovascular fitness, 69% lose weight and 96% report that the project had helped them to become more active on a regular basis.

Coventry City First Team Captain and Health Ambassador for Sky Blues in the Community, Carl Baker is in full support of the project. He said: “As a professional football player I understand the importance of eating a balanced diet and training regularly. I think the InForm project is a great way to promote and support local men in getting active and thinking more about their own health.”

He continued: “Football is a fantastic sport that not only helps people get active and fit but also provides a great opportunity to socialise too. Building friendships and having a bit of banter between team mates goes a long way towards having a positive well-being.”

To find out more about the InForm project or to get involved, please contact Hiedi Sloan, email: hiedi.sloan@ccfc.co.uk or phone: 02476 786 313.