Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses the complex reality of the relationship between sport clubs, their stadia and health. It examines the relationship between professional and amateur sport clubs, stadia and health promotion, through a collection of papers aligned to philosophical, political, environmental and practical health-related interventions enabled through sport stadia settings. The book explains with an applied contribution from a number of practitioners from across Europe who are working on, or towards, the healthy stadia agenda. Research on the outcomes of a range of physical activity and health-promotion programmes delivered by professional football clubs Football in the Community schemes within stadia in England are also presented through some empirical studies. The book concludes with some articles which outline key lessons from sport, physical activity and health-promotion interventions with distinctive relevance to the Healthy Stadia agenda.