Free public water should be available everywhere, argues Grace O’Malley

– New water fountains in Cherry Orchard FC saw usage by players of plastic bottles fall by 97%.

As part of the study, Cherry Orchard FC and Ballyfermot United FC received water fountains and reusable bottles.

Dr O’Malley feels that such things should be commonplace across the country: “These are public health features that should be available everywhere, and in many countries they are, but in Ireland the access to free drinking water isn’t great.”

She was heartened by Uisce Cliste’s impact on young players and adults with Cherry Orchard FC.

“I am particularly interested in child health, and (seeing) an increase in the children’s knowledge of the science around dehydration is really important. Generally when children say they are thirsty they are already dehydrated, their thirst mechanism doesn’t develop until the second decade of life. Lots of children will say they are hungry, but it’s actually thirst they are feeling. When they say they are thirsty they’re actually dehydrated at that point,” she said.

Colour of urine charts helped in real time

The Uisce Cliste approach is very practical.

“One of the things that we did was provide urine colour charts, basically a sheet to put up in the toilets and it has colour grading of wee. It teachs someone how to look at the colour of their wee and tell in real time if their body is sending them a signal that they need to drink more water. That very practical measure helped (a lot),” she said.

Dr O’Malley was “really shocked” by how heavily soccer players relied on bought beverages instead of water. Usage of single-use plastic bottles and aluminium cans has fallen to nearly zero.

“Cherry Orchard were really behind the project in terms of reminding the members to use their reusable bottles and they talked to visiting clubs about not bringing plastic onto the site,” she said.

Around the same time as Cherry Orchard FC was trying this new approach, on the national stage the return reuse recycle scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium cans was introduced.

“From talking to the club they felt that a combination of all the reusable bottles, the water fountain, the education, and a redesign of the tuck shop – plus the coaches and the managers being behind the project – impacted how everyone was doing things on the ground.”

“The really positive thing was the atmosphere that the project created. In Ballyfermot United Football Club they have a fountain now and they want the hydration education.”

She feels it is important that everyone can easily access free, high quality drinking water away from home.

“Every child, every teenager and adult should be able to access free drinking water and not be having to think about purchasing it when they are out and about.”

FIVE health issues arise from not drinking enough water

1. Headaches often accompany a state of dehydration and are a common sign of mild to moderate dehydration. Drinking only water while experiencing a headache rather than sugary drinks can help.

2. Weight gain can be an issue. Studies show that drinking the right amount of water can give a significant boost to one’s metabolism and many wellness experts advise drinking more water to lose weight or to keep it off.

3. Constipation is often a result of not drinking enough water and not eating enough high fibre foods.

4. Moodiness may be caused by lack of water. Some research has shown that even mild dehydration can lead to neurological changes that affect our ability to focus and can cause irritability.

5. Not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration, which manifests in the skin as dryness, flakiness, and a dull complexion.

Cherry Orchard players switch to water, saving money, saving planet