A MAN v FAT Football club, which meets every Tuesday at Trinity High School in Redditch, helped 20 local men lose more than 400lb of excess weight in 2024.
MAN v FAT is a weight loss scheme which aims to help overweight and obese men with a BMI of over 27.5 lose unwanted weight through weekly football and lifestyle coaching sessions.
At sessions, players are weighed and then play a 30-minute game of six-a-side football.
Extra goal bonuses are awarded to teams based on their weight loss. A team’s total weight loss and match scores then contribute to its position within a club’s overall league table.
Mark Durose, who coaches the club, said: “The most rewarding thing about coaching the guys is seeing the community grow, the group become friends and socialise together.
“All of this happens while they’re losing weight and supporting one another with their wellbeing too.”
He added 2025 provided the opportunity to grow the community and welcome new members, sharing journeys and celebrating milestones while making positive life changes.
Richard Crick, head of MAN v FAT Football added: “The lads at our Redditch club have created a formidable community – they pull together to achieve shared goals and celebrate success as a group.
“While a lot of the players at the club initially join to lose weight, over time they see the benefits that MAN v FAT has to offer, like making new friends, learning about leading a healthier lifestyle and generally feeling better about yourself.”
There are 8,400 men currently taking part at more than 150 MAN v FAT Football clubs across the UK, which also offer a bespoke mental health platform through the scheme’s parnters JAAQ.
The programme was created to differ from traditional weight loss classes and combines the beautiful game with achievable weight loss goals for men. Players across the UK have currently lost more than 750,000lb since the scheme began.
People can visit: manvfatfootball.org/Leagues/FindALeague to find their nearest MAN v FAT club.
Why not ‘try’ the rugby version?
This year, 10 new rugby-based clubs are being launched across the country which will follow the MAN v FAT key principles.
Visit: manvfatrugby.com for more.
