FanBeats

An Awareness Campaign on Heart Health Together with Soccer Fans

Project Design

Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common health problems. Studies have shown that soccer fans, particularly during emotionally intense matches, may experience an increased risk of cardiovascular symptoms and events. At the same time, physical activity, an active lifestyle, and health awareness are known to protect the heart.

FanBeats brings the important topics of heart health and prevention directly to where people’s passion lies – into soccer stadiums and everyday life. Through interactive action days, free health checks, and a podcast series co-created with fans, the project aims to communicate medical knowledge in an accessible, engaging, and relatable way.

Fans will be actively involved in multiple aspects of the project. Matchday events during home games will offer medical health checks, educational materials, and interactive activities. In addition, fans will help shape the planned podcast series through topic polls, interviews, and even co-hosting opportunities. In this way, FanBeats aims to sustainably strengthen health literacy among football fans.

Would you like to get involved? Send us your questions about heart health at: fanbeats@af-net.eu

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Einschlusskriterien

Allgemeine Ausschlusskriterien

Ausschlusskriterien im Zusammenhang mit einer Herzerkrankung

Research Question / Hypothesis

Research Question /

Hypothesis

Soccer is more than just sports – it is a matter of the heart. During a single match, our heart beats around 8,000 times. But what happens when it falls out of rhythm? And what can we all do to protect our hearts? These are the questions addressed by the “FanBeats” project.

Patient:innen

Conclusion / Expected Outcome

FanBeats aims to raise public awareness of heart health and prevention while encouraging soccer fans to adopt a more active and healthier lifestyle.

STUDIENZENTREN

Project duration

Start of project

01.04.2026

Estimated end of project

31.12.2026

Project informationen zum Download

Project design

Project flyer

Publikationen

Fabritz Larissa, Connolly D., Czarnecki E., Dudek D., Zlahoda-Huzior A., Guasch E., Haase D., Huebner T., Jolly K., Kirchhof P., Schotten Ulrich, Zapf Antonia, Schnabel Renate B: Remote Design of a Smartphone and Wearable Detected Atrial Arrhythmia in Older Adults Case Finding Study: Smart in OAC – AFNET 9. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, (2022), 9 https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcvm.2022.839202

Scientific Lead

FanBeats is conducted by the Atrial Fibrillation Network (AFNET) in close collaboration with SC Paderborn 07 and additional soccer clubs. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the Science Year 2026 initiative.