After the first month of the Bank of Ireland Healthy Football League, the fans of Premier Division Champions Shamrock Rovers lead the way as the most active group of Irish football fans, clinching the first monthly prize for their club. However, Rov
After the first month of the Bank of Ireland Healthy Football League, the fans of Premier Division Champions Shamrock Rovers lead the way as the most active group of Irish football fans, clinching the first monthly prize for their club.
However, Rovers fans are closely followed by the fans of Wexford, Sligo and Galway who are among the clubs who have made huge efforts to get their communities more active. The fans of Bohemians and St. Pats have also made great strides in recent weeks and along with other clubs supporting their own fan’s participation in competition, League of Ireland clubs are collectively responsible for promoting the participation of well over three thousand fans around the country in this unique health and well-being initiative.
The Bank of Ireland Healthy Football League is an online, app-based, competition that encourages fans of League of Ireland football clubs to get active and exercise regularly to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The idea behind the Healthy Football League is to use the friendly rivalry between Irish football fans to motivate them and their friends and families to get physically active.
FAI Community Development Manager, Derek O’Neill said: “The HFL is now up and running and it’s great to see over 3,200 people countrywide getting active in the name of their football clubs. It’s starting to get competitive now especially with the significant prize fund on offer. However, it’s all about health and well-being and if the friendly rivalry between club fans can continue to assist that aim, that’ll be a great result for everyone!”
Rob Heffernan from Bank of Ireland said: “I’ve been following the HFL with great interest and it’s really fantastic to see participants increasing week on week since the launch in February. Congratulations to Shamrock Rovers on their early achievement in the first round. There is still plenty of time to become involved and take that step to support your club. Best of luck to all involved in the coming weeks.”
The competition is open to everyone young and old and irrespective of fitness levels. To participate in the Healthy Football League, simply download the app free of charge and pick your favourite League of Ireland club. You’ll be able to track your activity and score points for yourself and your favourite club. Everyone can score points by using the app while walking, cycling, or running. You can even score points for your club while walking the dog!
On behalf of Shamrock Rovers, Rovers’ Head of Communications and Board Director Mark Lynch said: “We’ve used the Healthy Football League as an opportunity to engage with our affiliate grassroots clubs, our Academy teams and the Rovers fanbase to get involved and this has worked really well. It’s great to see so many players, parents and fans signing up to the app and getting active in the name of our club and hopefully they can continue on their health and well-being journey with us”.
The Healthy Football League runs until 31st May so there’s plenty of time to get involved and start your own fitness journey while also scoring points for your favourite club. Just download the HFL App now and get moving! Every step counts. www.healthyfootballleague.com
