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This scheme, supported by the Leicester City Football in the Community Trust, the Primary Care Trust and Leicester City Council will challenge young people to change their lifestyles using football as the vehicle to adopt a healthier fitter approach to life. We have incorporated ways to involve parents which will also enable the education process to take place at home within the whole family.

The Fit Active Football (FAF) Scheme will provide bespoke interventions for each school family. In addition, the Diet and Nutrition Services will deliver healthy eating messages each day of the project one of which will incorporate parents.

One of Leicester's public health targets is to halt the year-on-year rise in obesity among children under 11 by 2010. Tackling obesity in Leicester will not be solved by short term, quick fixes.

When Leicester's children were measured for overweight or obesity, reception classes were slightly lower and Year 6 children were higher than levels in England as a whole.

The implications for Leicester of this obesity profile are considerable. The city is in the top 20% of areas in the country with the worst health and deprivation indicators. It has been identified by Government as a 'spearhead area' and is expected to achieve a bigger improvement in health at a faster rate than elsewhere.

Children will also be signposted to other opportunities to participate in a healthier lifestyle at the sessions, including multiskill clubs, multisport clubs and affiliated football clubs to develop opportunities.