Smoking at football clubs: the Netherlands compared to Germany

Ideally, in a smoke-free generation, children could practice sports in a smoke-free setting. This article studied the prevalence of smoking at football clubs in two countries. An audit at 45 German and 116 Dutch clubs measured smoking prevalence at three places. In the Netherlands, smoking was less common at playing fields (at 25% of Dutch clubs versus 64% of German clubs), but more common at terraces (44 versus 19%) and entrances (20 versus 11%). Despite more comprehensive anti-tobacco policies, smoking at clubs in The Netherlands was as common as in Germany, possibly due to displacement of smoking from fields towards other places.