‘Fat football’ comes to town
A FOOTBALL league for overweight men, which tries to tackle obesity by turning weight loss into a game, is coming to Rochdale.
Founded in January 2016, Man v Fat Football gives players the chance to shift the excess pounds by winning points for both results and weight loss.
The Rochdale league is being launched at 7pm on April 24 at the Soccer Factory in Castleton.
Man v Fat Football was set up by Andrew Shanahan - who himself lost five stone - as he was fed-up with weight loss classes aimed at women.
He said: “We’re thrilled to roll out our effective weight loss leagues to men in Rochdale.
“We’ve seen that Man v Fat Football can have an incredible impact on the health of our players with most losing weight and 93 per cent reporting health improvements including curing sleep apnoea to huge improvements in regulating blood pressure as well as relieving joint pain.
“Our players have lost more than 40 tons in weight in 2017 and we know that we’re going to smash that in 2018 with the addition of leagues like the one here in Rochdale.”
There are now 25 leagues across the UK helping to support men with a BMI of 27.5 or more – targeting those who want to lose weight by regularly playing a sport they love. And it’s got the backing of the FA.
Andy Dyke, national participation manager of recreational football at the FA, said: “Football doesn’t begin and end with the professional game, there are different levels and styles of football played throughout the UK.
“Man v Fat Football is a brilliant initiative for anyone who wants to address their weight and start working their way back into playing football.
“The results of the leagues are extremely impressive and we are excited to see the impact this could have on men’s health across the country and around the world.
“You might be thinking that your footballing days are behind you, but Man v Fat Football is a great bridge back into the national game.”
Players can join at manvfatfootball.org/ rochdale or for more information call 0845 163 0042 or email football@ manvfat.com.