Players
Meet our real players.
AFC Smokefree, a team based in Hampshire, were founded by Kris Serjent in June 2009. Kris, a local NHS Stop Smoking Service adviser and fireman, started the team to help local men help each other to quit smoking for good.
Since their first training sessions and exhibition matches the team has grown from a handful of players to a full outfit with 15 regular players. Their first local tournament saw them come third out of 30 teams. The team now play in their local FA Solent league, and the players are vocal about the improvement that stopping smoking has made to their lives, both on and off the pitch.
AFC Smokefree
“I've been using the NHS Stop Smoking Service for 10 days now and have found it easy to use and helpful”
Paul Scutt
Paul has been a regular smoker since getting caught up in the wrong crowd at the age of 11. Although he tried to quit once, he didn’t succeed until he visited his local NHS Stop Smoking Service. His last cigarette was in August 2009 and he puts much of his success down to Kris – his NHS Stop Smoking Adviser and manager of AFC Smokefree.
Paul’s main motivation for quitting was his passion for football and his desire to be fitter and faster. Since quitting Paul has already seen a marked improvement on the pitch and feels healthier and more energetic.
Although Paul admits he found it very difficult at first, with the help of Kris and the nicotine replacement patches supplied to him by the local NHS Stop Smoking Service, it got much easier. He feels confident that he has quit for good.
“My children have a lot of energy and when I was smoking it was getting to the point where I couldn't keep up with them - now I can, and we've noticed all the difference”
Craig Sadler
Craig Sadler is a Watch Manager with the local fire service, and is married with three children. He started smoking on and off aged around 17, and made several unsuccessful attempts at quitting before stopping for good in 2007.
Craig was introduced to his local NHS Stop Smoking Service through Kris Serjent, manager of AFC Smokefree, who brought along two important props to their first session, which would be key motivating factors in his decision to quit. Craig was shown a jar full of tar, demonstrating the impact of heavy smoking on the lungs, and a dial showing how much smoking was costing him on an annual basis.
Craig has played football all his life, and is looking forward to a great season with AFC Smokefree.
