MAN v FAT Football is coming to Fylde!
Sport England and The FA have joined forces to fund MAN v FAT Football across England. A 14-week football league exclusively for the 56% of UK men who are overweight or obese launches in Fylde through AFC Fylde Community Foundation.
MAN v FAT Football launched in Solihull in January 2016 with just 80 players. Since then more than 5,500 players have joined the leagues and lost nearly 64 tons of weight between them. Across the leagues more than 90 per cent of players lose weight and 93 per cent of players report health improvements.
Sport England and The FA have now announced that they will fund 20 MAN v FAT Football leagues starting in September. Their success will be evaluated by the physical activity specialists from The University of East Anglia.
The support of Sport England and The FA means that taking part in many of the leagues will be free or subsidised for the players, giving more than 1,200 inactive men the perfect opportunity to get back into sport and address any concerns that they may have around their weight.
The unique aspect of MAN v FAT Football is that players weigh in before every game. So the final results are decided not just on the score on the pitch, but as a result of goal bonuses that teams earn from their weight loss.
This enables players with limited mobility and disabilities to join the teams and still be a top performer for their side, simply by losing weight each week.
Andrew Shanahan, Managing Director of MAN v FAT Football, said, “We’re delighted to work with Sport England and The FA to bring the leagues where losers win, to those who need it across England. We’ve seen how positive the leagues are as a way of supporting men who want to lose weight and get more active. What’s brilliant is that because of this funding we can bring these leagues without the normal fees for players, so the only thing you have to lose by joining the Foundation’s league is weight!”
Builder Ben Gallon became one of the first MAN v FAT Footballers when he joined the first free league in Solihull in January 2016.
He said: “I was obese and facing a knee operation which I only really needed because of my weight and I saw this and thought I’d give it a go with my brother. I love football and I desperately needed to lose weight.
“After a season I’d lost over 26 per cent of my body weight and unsurprisingly my knee was no longer an issue! I’ve since gone on to work as a coach with MAN v FAT Football because I believe that it’s an amazing opportunity for men to get back into football and get healthier.”
The MAN v FAT Football program will be delivered by AFC Fylde Community Foundation and launches at Mill Farm Sports Village from the 5th September 2018 and runs every Wednesday 6-8pm for the next 14 weeks. It costs £9.99 to register and is completely free of charge for the first season. The only thing you have to lose is weight!
Players can join up at www.manvfat.com/football and they can get more information by calling 0845 163 0042 or emailing football@manvfat.com
