Football clubs in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire are being encouraged to sign up to an initiative that will ban smoking at youth matches.
The Smokefree Sidelines campaign, which has implemented in counties such as Lancashire, Norfolk, East Riding of Yorkshire, and neighbouring Oxfordshire, aim to make fixtures involving children and teenagers smoke free.
A statement from the Berks and Bucks FA website reads: “As the governing body of football in the region, we aim to introduce a culture of Smokefree Sidelines across Berks & Bucks, to encourage harm reduction to those exposed to smoking.
“Children and young people are at risk the more they are exposed to smoke and the acceptance of smoking in our society.
“Furthermore, young people are most at risk of becoming smokers themselves if they grow up in communities where smoking is the norm.
"One approach to tackle this is to make places where children and young people regularly visit smoke-free.
“Smoking remains the biggest cause of preventable deaths in Berkshire & Buckinghamshire and we know smoking often starts as a childhood addiction.”
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Clubs that are interested in taking part are urged to the contact Graham Fisher from the Berks and Bucks FA at Safeguarding@Berks-BucksFA.com.
There are also forms on the website, which can be accessed by clicking here.
The clubs that are currently involved are:
• Aston Clinton
• Cold Ash
• Hanslope Hornets
• Hazelmere Youth Community
• Holmer Green
• Maidenhead United Juniors
• Pinewood
• Thatcham Tornados
• Whitegrove and Warfield
• Windsor Youth
• Wingrave Juniors
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