With football fever everywhere you look, there's a fear that fans whether celebrating or drowning their sorrows may forget to protect themselves from STIs. In this article Stephen Bitti, a founder Director of HIVsport, highlights the need to engage with football fans in the run up to the world cup and throughout the tournament.

Facing the challenges

It's well known that alcohol and recreational drug use can overwhelm even the best intentions to engage in safer sex. So it's not surprising that large sporting events have also been associated with an increase in the transmission of STIs.

There is an additional risk for the estimated 30,000 England fans going to watch the games in South Africa; 1 in 5 adults there are HIV positive, so it's imperative that travelling fans are aware of the risks.

Raising awareness

In the run up to the world cup, HIVsport has been working in partnership with the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Durex to raise awareness about the potential sexual health risks surrounding the tournament.

On June 2nd the partners launched a web site targeted at fans that are either:

• travelling to South Africa

• travelling to other countries to enjoy watching matches in the sun, or

• watching the games in bars and clubs in the UK

The site, which can be found at www.keepacleansheet.co.uk, aims to engage fans with a light-hearted video while also providing them with a leaflet packed with useful information that can be downloaded, printed out and folded down to pocket size.

Travelling to South Africa

Of course for those fans travelling to South Africa there are particular challenges, not only in the realm of sexual health, and there is some excellent information available on the internet:

• HIVsport web site
  On the HIVsport site we have included more information specifically for those travelling to see the competition live, including the importance of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) in the event of having sex without the protection of a condom, and we have explained where PEP can be obtained.
  (HIVsport also has a Facebook page which is linked to many football clubs across the country and features on Twitter. It provides short, timely messages from Mark Brown @HIVsport. To visit these pages go to www.facebook.com/hivsport and twitter.com/hivsport.)

• FCO 'Be on the ball'
  One of the other partners in the Keep a clean sheet initiative, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a site packed with useful tips and information to help Brits stay healthy abroad. They are also running a special campaign for the world cup - 'Be on the ball' - for those fans travelling to South Africa.

• Durex
  Discover the latest Durex products and how they can spice up your games in the bedroom.

Working with HCPs

Above all, HIVsport and our partners see sexual health professionals as the frontline experts and integral to increasing awareness and reducing risky behaviour.

So to help them during the world cup, sexual health professionals can go to the Keep a clean sheet website and download a selection of posters for their clinic, publicising the site and the useful information it contains.

Next stop, the 2012 Olympics

Evidence from Sydney in 2000 has shown that there is a big increase in demand for sexual health services during the Olympic Games, so London 2012 is the next big challenge for HIVsport.

We are working as part of the 2012 Olympics Sexual Health Planning Group and contributing to the production of a Sexual Health Promotion Toolkit for the Olympics, which will also serve as a legacy to be passed on to other countries hosting the Olympics in the future.

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Stephen Bitti is a founder Director of HIVsport. He is also a Trustee of MADaboutART. As Delivery Manager for the Department of Health's National Support Team for Sexual Health, he provides support to local NHS Trusts and health partnerships in achieving the Government's key deliverables for sexual health.

Article release date: 2nd June 2010