UK football club, BClear sponsor free STD screenings

In an effort to educate students at Staffordshire University about their sexual health, the Sunday League football club will be sponsoring an upcoming screening event for sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The free testing opportunity has been made available to all enrollees at the UK-based academic institution, according to the school's website.

Several students are involved with the football team, which receives funding from BClear, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of the spread and treatment of chlamydia. The charity association also has testing centers in a total of 25 cities throughout the UK, the BClear website reports.

Elliot Ryan, a student at the university and football player, stated that "it's a good idea for everyone to come down and to get a sexual health check-up, especially because it's free and so quick and easy to do."

By sponsoring similar events on campus, college students are encouraging one another to practice safe sex and reduce their chance of contracting potentially life-threatening diseases. For instance, for every 100,000 cases of chlamydia in the U.S., more than 4,200 are diagnosed in people aged 20 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.