The objective of the FC Prostate Community project is to study whether football training in a football club (football fitness) compared with the current types of training, is able to keep men with prostate cancer physically active and improve quality of life, muscle mass and bone strength.

All men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are able to participate in FC Prostate Community.

Research suggests that regular physical activity can have a positive effect on men with prostate cancer, among other things on the development of the disease.
At the same time, previous studies have shown that physical training has a positive effect on muscle strength, muscle mass, fitness, physical function, fatigue and quality of life. However, the majority of research trials have so far primarily studied the effect of short-term training offered by hospitals, and we therefore lack knowledge about the efficacy of long-term training options outside of the hospital environment.

The project is structured as a randomised controlled trial, i.e. the participants draw lots on whether or not they are placed in the group which played football, or in a control group which was encouraged to be physically active.

The entire programme for participation in the project took place over a sixth month period.

The football training took place in Lyseng Sports Club and the training squad was not open for outsiders. An experienced football trainer from the club was responsible for all training sessions and had already completed a course specifically designed for this particular project.

Read about offers in Aarhus Municipality:

The project was launched on the initiative of Julie Midtgaard, who is also responsible for the trial.
The study is anchored in Rigshospitalet under the University Hospitals Center for Health Research. Danish Cancer Society The project won the e-Boks Sports Confederation of Denmark and DR P4’s Sports Award in 2016.

It is no longer possible for new participants to join the project, although FC Prostate is still offered to patients with prostate cancer. The training takes place twice weekly at Lyseng Sports Club and other locations around Denmark.

The results of the project have not yet been published.

Project responsibility: Professor, Consultant, DMSc, PhD Michael Borre

Funding: The project is financed by the Trygfonden Foundation and supported by DBU (Danish Football Union).

Read about FC Prostate on the DBU website (in Danish).

See the feature on football for cancer-stricken older men from TV2 Øst here.