Can smoking be kicked out of grassroots football?

A football association is hoping to kick smoking and vaping out of football by discouraging parents and supporters from puffing on the sidelines at grassroots matches.

Surrey FA is planning to get in touch with more than 540 clubs across the county to take part in the initiative, dubbed Smokefree Sidelines, which has been launched with Surrey County Council.

According to Surrey FA, it is a public health initiative targeting children's football.

The FA cannot simply ban smoking as some club games happen at public parks.

Kirk Ritchie, Surrey FA's marketing chief, who smoked cigars before he became a parent, said: "If we could make one person say, 'if my son or daughter is playing, I'm not going to smoke', then we have made a positive change."

He said the association wanted not only to boost football participation but to improve people's health in the county.

Surrey FA signed up after Surrey County Council came to the FA with the idea, he said.

The initiative is likely to be inexpensive as a lot of work can be done through social media promotion, according to Ritchie.

The council has been approached for comment.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, there are about 86,500 smokers in Surrey.

The council said prevalence across Surrey in 2023 was 7.3%, compared to 14.9% in 2011.

Surrey FA aims to get all the clubs in the county on board by 2029.

"We need to educate parents that young children see and they learn," Ritchie added.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook or X. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.