This Soccer Pitch Will Save You From Skin Cancer

Cases of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, have doubled in Sweden since the year 2000. To raise awareness of sun-safe behavior in an inspirational and fun way, the Swedish Cancer Society created the world’s first soccer pitch made of shade. 

Swedish winters are long and dark. When summer finally arrives, people’s thirst for sunshine knows no limits. While most Swedes know the importance of sun protection when travelling overseas, many forget to behave in a sun-safe manner at home. 

With soccer-fever gripping Sweden in the wake of the World Cup in Brazil, the Swedish Cancer Society created the world’s first soccer pitch utilizing the sun’s rays to create the entire pitch. By inviting people to participate in a sun-safe game of soccer in a sun-drenched park in Stockholm, the Swedish Cancer Society wanted to inform sun-loving Swedes of the importance of sun protection during day-to-day activities. 

The concept, called Play in the Shade, wants to inspire people to be active in the shade, instead of passively sitting in the sun in the middle of the day when the sun is at its strongest, especially from 11am to 3pm. The specially designed construction creates the pitch during the sun’s strongest hours by using the sun’s rays. The aim is to inspire people to think creatively about sun protection. 

To inspire more people to play in the shade, the event was documented in a short film.

Yvonne Brandberg, Scientific Secretary at the Swedish Cancer Society and Professor of Health Sciences at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm further explains the strategy behind Play in the Shade: – People often disregard information that is contrary to what they want to hear and after a long winter, 

Swedes long for the sun when spring arrives. That is why we wanted to flip the perspective - instead of creating another campaign that tells people what they should not do; we wanted to convey a positive message. And so, Play in the Shade was born.