Football for the heart

Football for the Heart is an initiative launched by DBU, the Heart Association, and SDU (by Peter Krustrup).

Under the auspices of Football for the Heart, the aim is to offer exercise football (Football Fitness) for the benefit of health among Danes with cardiovascular diseases. The project aims to get 800 people with cardiovascular diseases to be physically active in social sports communities with like-minded people.

The participant, club, and stakeholder survey, which CISC is to carry out on the basis of a grant of DKK 350,000 from DBU, is to investigate the implementation and effects of Football for the Heart. The survey includes:

A questionnaire survey among the participants (with measurements before and after participation) Focus group interviews with selected participants about their benefits from the activities Interviews and focus group interviews with representatives from the participating clubs Focus group interviews with representatives from the local (municipal) working groups Focus group interviews with the national stakeholders in the project (from DBU and the Heart Association) The purpose of combining a participant, club, and stakeholder perspective is to provide a nuanced understanding of how the project’s activities have been implemented, performed, experienced, and with what effects for the participants, clubs, and municipalities. Thus, the survey can form the basis for and contribute to qualifying further and similar initiatives under the auspices of DBU or other actors in the sports area.

Football for the Heart started in the fall of 2019 in four municipalities and during 2020 the project has started up in several of the country’s municipalities. The local working groups, the clubs, and participants in four selected municipalities are included in the survey. The project is reported and completed in the spring of 2021.