ABSTRACT
Football has been highlighted as the most popular team sport in the world. Recently, an emerging body of the literature highlights football-led health improvement as a vehicle for positive changes in physical and social health impacts. This adds further weight to support the role of football in delivering success in a range of lifestylerelated behaviours and conditions across the lifespan.1 The purpose of this special issue was to invite contributions on the role of football-led interventions and their impact on health improvement. In doing so, the Editors [Parnell and Pringle] seek to bring together current perspectives from key stakeholders in the area. Given that many literary contributions come from the academic community, the Editors were motivated to provide practitioners and commissioners as well as researchers with an opportunity to share their perspectives. As such, this editorial offers applied insights from ‘key players’ actively involved in football-led health improvement. Contributors will not only provide insight into the scope and reach of health improvement interventions, but also considerations for practitioners and researchers working in this area. In no hierarchical order, we are pleased that colleagues from the English Premier Football League, English Football League Trust, the Football Foundation, European Healthy Stadia Network, Burton Albion Football Club (Burton Albion Community Trust) and Staffordshire Public Health have joined us in providing this editorial.
