Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) has announced a four-year partnership with the Scottish Football Association (FA) to support improved health outcomes for women through physical activity.

Launching at Glasgow’s Hampden Park yesterday with representatives from both the leading health charity and the Scottish FA, the partnership will see the two work closely to expand ongoing work.

CHSS says it will support the Scottish FA to extend its women’s recreational football programme, aiming to reach 25,000 women across Scotland.

Speaking at the launch, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Chief Executive, Jane-Claire Judson, said:

“Partnering with the Scottish FA is a fantastic opportunity for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland not only to raise awareness at a regional and national level of the support we provide, but also to encourage participation by women at a local level in the Scottish FA’s recreational women’s football programme. 

“This partnership will enable CHSS to promote women's health and the impact of physical activity on preventing the conditions we support, demonstrating the power of football to inspire change and support people to live healthier lives.”

This comes five months after Scotland’s first ever Women’s Health Champion told parliament that while progress has been made on the women’s health plan, more work is needed at a GP and community level, adding:

“Women are less likely to be diagnosed with a heart attack and even when diagnosed, they’re less likely to be on secondary prevention than men.”

Professor Anna Glasier added that a holistic approach to women’s health needs and preventative work must be adopted going forward, and the next iteration of Scotland’s women’s health “will be even better”.

Alongside Alzheimer's disease and dementia, heart disease is among the leading causes of death for women in Scotland. Deaths from stroke are also more common for women than men.

Heart health is a key focus of the women’s health plan, first introduced in 2021 to improve women’s access to healthcare services and “reduce avoidable health inequalities”.

A year later concerns were raised that progress had been slow and, in 2023, calls came for action to address a series of inequalities in women's brain health, seen as “missed out” from the plan’s first iteration.

Now, this new partnership will support Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland’s own women’s health action plan – which includes improving access to health information and advice on chest, heart and stroke conditions for women.

The charity is also looking to grow its physical activity programme to extend women’s fitness groups across Scotland.

Ian Maxwell Chief Executive of Scottish Football Association said this four-year partnership will reinforce the importance of physical activity in a healthy lifestyle:

“We are delighted to partner with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. It’s vital that we continue to use the power of football to raise awareness and improve lives across the country. We believe that this partnership allows us to continue to do that. 

“We hope that through our work with CHSS, we can not only get more women involved in the game but we can also reinforce the importance of a healthy lifestyle to help tackle the prevalence of the conditions supported by CHSS.”

Read more: Has progress been made on women's health?; Breast screenings for over-71s to restart; Abortion clinic buffer zones - where are we now?; Deprivation remains key factor in young pregnancies; Women's Health Champion: progress in primary care;  Dr Stephanie Adams: Sports and Brain Health; ‘Substantial’ impact of domestic abuse on brain 

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