Snus in sport

Why focusing on quick fixes won't tackle a problem decades in the making

Stats rarely tell the full story (just ask Rishi Sunak). According to a recent report by the Professional Football Association (PFA), almost one in five footballers in England are using snus, nicotine pouches or both – whilst half of those taking the substances want to quit.

The study of over 600 Premier League, Football League and Women’s Super League players showed that the tobacco-based product – and it’s tobacco-free equivalent – acts, as what one medical officer termed, a ‘coping mechanism’ for footballers facing increasingly onerous mental and physical health demands.

Whilst the veracity of the 20% figure mentioned at the start of the article shouldn’t be as zealously questioned as the claims of the UK’s current Prime Minister, it perhaps (from conversations I’ve had over the last couple of weeks) underplays the extent of football’s battle with snus addiction.

It’s an issue which has been publicly discussed - on platforms as wide-ranging as Instagram and the Daily Mail - for almost a decade. Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James recently revealed that he used snus during his time with the club in the mid-90s. As James put it: “Snus has been around forever.”

The findings in the PFA report show why we’re failing to tackle the problem. Of the 45 men and 11 women who viewed the substance as performance enhancing, 29% and 55% respectively cited ‘improved mental readiness’ as the key benefit. The research also revealed that 56% of male players and 73% of women survey respondents, when quizzed about the reasons for using snus or nicotine pouches, cited the products’ perceived ability to help them ‘fit in’ with senior teammates.

Performance enhancement and peer group pressure are deep-rooted issues. I’ve not met an athlete who doesn’t want to improve their ‘mental readiness’. You have to be a brave individual in any walk of life - let alone in elite football, where dressing room status can make or break a player’s career - to stand out from the crowd.

And yet, the PFA’s report - whilst an excellent read, explored in detail below the paywall line - lists better learning material and the introduction of support groups, among a long list of proposals.

These are sensible suggestions that clubs could quickly implement, if they’re not doing so already. But will improved ‘educational resources’ really help to fix a problem decades in the making?