- Author, Christian Fuller
- Role, BBC News, South East
A football club which is focused on improving players’ health has seen its squad collectively lose more than 25 stone (150kg) in a year.
Members of East Sussex-based Man v Fat Brighton were weighed each week before playing a 30-minute six-a-side football match.
Extra goal bonuses were awarded to teams based on weight loss, with a team’s total weight loss and match scores contributing to their league position within the club.
Coach Damo Stevens said the club, which is run at the Stanley Season Leisure Centre, was a “special place” that allowed like-minded overweight and obese men to forge new friendships and share ideas.
“We have players who would have otherwise passed each other in the street without noticing each other who now, through the club, have become friends,” he said.
“Man v Fat isn’t just about physical health.
“We see an improvement in the mental health of men taking part, and long may that continue.”
According to Public Health England, 57.3% of adults in Brighton and Hove are overweight or obese.
Man v Fat Brighton is looking to recruit new players to join the 30-man squad.
New participants will each receive a free 14-week season thanks to a partnership between Man v Fat and East Sussex County Council.
Club football head Richard Crick said: “The men involved are genuinely changing their lives for the better by improving their physical and mental health, while making new friends and having fun in the process.
“Man v Fat is not a ‘lose-fat-fast’ programme – we encourage body positivity and losing weight at a healthy, sustainable pace.
“The programme is perfect for men who want to get back into playing football after time away from the game and improve their fitness gradually, without the stress of getting a group together and booking pitches.”