FC EMMEN SCORES FOR HEALTH

Yesterday, FC Emmen jerseys filled the halls of the OBS de Delftlanden school of Emmen. Students went to class wearing FC Emmen merchandise to promote their participation in the Scoring for Health programme.

For twenty weeks, the school will be working in partnership with the club to promote healthy living, balanced diets and physical exercise. “Nowasays children spend a lot of time behind a screen and this way you can get them to exercise,” says teacher Michel Jeurink. “In the end they get a lot more energy from that.”

Childhood obesity rates remain above average in the Southeast Drenthe region. The goal of this project is to see a significant reduction in these numbers. “We can use the power of football very well as a social goal”, Hugo de Olde explains. “It is an extra bit of motivation to the children. For us it is more important that they learn a healthy lifestyle than that we say that they are overweight. We do it in a playful way.”

EFDN’s Scoring for Health programme aims to tackle the problem of childhood obesity which, as identified by the World Health Organisation, is still a critical issue throughout Europe today. With the underlying target of promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle amongst children, their families and wider communities across Europe, the programme supports the 3rd UN Sustainable Development Goal of Good Health and Well Being and is co-funded by the UEFA Foundation for Children. The programme encourages children from 7 to 14 years and their parents to adopt a healthy lifestyle and make them aware of healthy nutrition. It will run for 3 years, where 3 periods of 20 weeks of various activities will be delivered by the participating football clubs.