14.10.2024Social Commitment

FFIT tournament in Leverkusen: High point of important health promotion campaign

While there are no Bundesliga fixtures during international break, last weekend brought overweight fans from 16 first, second and third tier sides together on the pitch in Leverkusen. Over 200 participants in the health promotion programme 'Football fans in training' (FFIT), organised by Deutsche Krebshilfe (the German cancer support organisation) and the Institute for Therapy and Health Research (IFT-Nord) accepted the invitation from Bayer 04 and Deutsche Krebshilfe on 12 October for the 2024 XXL fans tournament.

In the FFIT tournament at the LIGA '20 hall close to the BayArena fan teams from the following German clubs took part: FC Köln, FC Nürnberg, FSV Mainz 05, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Arminia Bielefeld, Eintracht Braunschweig, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Ingolstadt 04, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Hamburg SV, Holstein Kiel, Karlsruher SC, SC Paderborn, Dynamo Dresden and VfL Bochum. In addition, they were joined by Dunfermline Athletic FC, a fan team from Scotland, the original country staging the Football Fans In Training programme. Dynamo Dresden won the tournament beating Dunfermline Athletic FC 2-1 in the final. Eintracht Frankfurt finished third. Bayer 04 missed out on the final games after finishing fourth in the group.

Rolfes on FFIT: "a great success"

"We thank Bayer 04 Leverkusen very much for staging this unique tournament together with us," said Gerd Nettekoven, chair of the board of the Deutsche Krebshilfe foundation, at the evening event in the Premium Lounge at the BayArena where there was a communal healthy evening meal. "Our thanks also go to all clubs who have provided brilliant support to Football Fans In Training. They help us mobilise overweight people and get them moving where they feel best: at their favourite clubs."

All the participating clubs provide participants in the FFIT with facilities, coaches and coaching opportunities, stage the FFIT courses and help overweight fans to reduce their weight and also the risk of cancer. The clubs also contribute to making the public aware of the great significance of activity and a balanced diet in preventing cancer.

Simon Rolfes, sporting managing director Bayer 04, declared: "We were once the trendsetters with the FFIT project in the Bundesliga. That now so many clubs have joined in and emphasised the significance of activity and sport for overweight people that makes FFIT a great success."

About FFIT:
The Football Fans In Training (FFIT) project was launched for the first time in the 2016/17 season with male XXL fans from clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in cooperation with the Institute for Therapy and Health Research (IFT- Nord) and Deutsche Krebshilfe, the German cancer support organisation. A balanced diet, less kilos and more fitness produce a wide range of positive effects: In addition to feeling better and having more energy there is also a reduced risk of cancer. In the FFIT project, 3,340 overweight fans from 25 clubs in the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and League 3 have lost weight and reduced risk of cancer. After the overweight fans have completed their 12-week program at their favourite club, the male participants lost an average of 6.2 kg and the female participants 4.24 kg. Further information on the project can be found at ffit.de, and on the work of Deutsche Krebshilfe at krebshilfe.de.

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