A national football programme that has helped men across the UK lose over 510,000 pounds of weight has kicked off in Gateshead, aiming to tackle obesity in the region.
MAN v FAT Football have created a six-a-side football club in association with Active Through Football Gateshead and Gateshead Council, which takes place on Friday evenings at Gateshead International Stadium.
The club is aimed specifically at overweight men with a BMI of higher than 27.5, after a 2019 study showed that 69% of adults in Gateshead are overweight or obese.
There are currently 8,500 players in 170 different leagues across the UK, with Andrew Shanahan, the founder of the programme, creating it when he was fed up with traditional weight loss classes which are primarily aimed at women.
He decided to create MAN v FAT which combines the beautiful game with weekly achievable weight loss goals.
Before matches, the players are weighed, followed by a 30 minute game of six-a-side. Extra goals and bonuses are awarded to the teams who have lost the most amount of weight. Support with things such as healthy meals and fitness tips are also provided.
The man in charge of MAN v FAT, Richard Crick has spoken of his delight at expanding to Gateshead and has explained more of the thinking behind the project.
“We’re delighted to be expanding our programme in Gateshead following many successful years of helping men lose weight and improve their lifestyle elsewhere in the country.
“MAN v FAT isn’t just about losing weight, it’s about enjoying sport in a safe, friendly environment, learning about healthy lifestyle and diet - and making new friends. We have spaces for new players in Gateshead and we’ll be with them every step of the way", he said.
Anybody that is interested in joining can do so on the MAN v FAT website here, which includes more information on the matches and how to get involved.
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