Football Fans and Betting

The Football Fans and Betting (FFAB) project, funded by the NIHR, developed and tested a groundbreaking group-based intervention aimed at reducing gambling involvement among regular male sports bettors (aged 18–55) through local football clubs. Drawing on the successful Football Fans in Training (FFIT) model, FFAB enlisted community trust coaches to deliver weekly sessions blending education (on gambling, industry tactics, and harms) with tools like goal-setting and self-monitoring, all within the club environment.

In its feasibility phase across six clubs, the intervention revealed key insights:

  • Demand exists for early support, but recruitment was difficult due to stigma and self-perceptions of need.
  • Branding and club-industry ties, particularly if clubs had gambling sponsors, complicated trust and delivery.
  • Smaller, locally grounded clubs showed greater engagement and retention potential.

Though the planned larger pilot RCT did not proceed, participants reported positive impacts on their awareness, motivation, and reduction in gambling.

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Publications

Reith, G. et al. (2025) Group-based interventions to reduce gambling involvement among male football fans: a synopsis of findings from a feasibility study. Public Health Research, 13(6), pp. 1-24. (doi: 10.3310/SWWP9393) (PMID:40690427)

Biggar, B. et al. (2025) An uneven playing field: a mixed methods, multiphase feasibility study of a programme to reduce gambling among at-risk men in a professional football club setting. OSF Preprints, (doi: 10.31219/osf.io/wt2yc_v1)