An evaluation of a community-based ‘Football for Life (FfL)’ programme for men: protocol paper for a pragmatic feasibility trial

Across the western world, men tend to have lower life expectancy compared to women and have higher mortality rates for most of the leading causes of deaths at all ages. Though not fully accounting for the disparity, biological factors and the fact that men engage less with traditional healthcare services contribute meaningfully to men’s heightened vulnerability to certain diseases and health conditions. Men are conscious and take responsibility of their health when engaged in ways that are meaningful, strengths-based and aligned with their interests, identities and social contexts. Community sport settings have emerged as particularly promising environments for health promotion, providing opportunities for physical activity (PA), social connection, belongingness and positive engagement among men who may be less likely to engage with traditional healthcare services. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) plans to bring an evidence-based, Danish, 12-week Football programme (renamed ‘Football for Life’ [FfL]) to men in Ireland to improve their overall health and wellbeing. This study will inform the replication of the FfL programme across the FAI Club network for the benefit of the male population health. Adopting a pragmatically controlled design within a Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework, this study proposes to assess the feasibility of the FfL programme delivered in two FAI clubs. The study employs mixed methods approach whereby each step of the seven steps of the SROI framework will be treated as a separate study; steps 1, 2 and 3 will adopt a qualitative approach to develop Theories of Change (Toc) for each stakeholder group, while steps 4, 5 and 6 will adopt quantitative approaches to measure, value and rank outcomes. Step 7 will detail the processes involved in the calculation of the final SROI figure. The findings from this study will inform fidelity of delivery and equitable benefits for participants when the FfL programme is replicated. The use of SROI and adherence to the 5C framework strengthens the case for investment while providing insights into how gender-responsive Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) can be designed, implemented and replicated in other settings. This study has been registered with the ‘International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number’ registry [ISRCTN14888262] as of the 2nd of July 2025.