Why this summer is the perfect time to get active and join a MAN v FAT football league

The weather is finally turning, Euro 2020 will soon be on our screens and grassroots football is back in our parks: summer 2021 is lined up to be a cracker. 

If you’re unsure about getting back on the pitch or you’re looking for a way to shift some lockdown pounds, there’s one perfect way to get involved. 

MAN v FAT leagues across the country have returned in a COVID-safe manner, so that men can get together to play football, lose weight and hone those close-ball skills ahead of Gareth Southgate’s World Cup 2022 squad. Maybe.

The truth is, it’s not really about unearthing your hidden talent: it’s about enjoying yourself and losing weight at the same time.

There’s never been a better time to sign up to play with MAN v FAT. They run over 80 football leagues across the country, with a further 16 going live this summer, providing amateur players the opportunity to recreate any goal at the Euros within hours of it being scored. Over 5,000 men already participate every week, and newcomers don’t need to get a whole team together to get involved – you can join as an individual.

It’s the UK’s leading men’s weight loss programme: men with a BMI of over 27.5 can sign up, and over 90% of those that do lose weight. That really is the only bar to entry. Most players are 35 to 45 years old, but anyone over 18 can join, and plenty of blokes in their sixties are releasing their inner Maradona every week. And plenty aren’t releasing any sort of Maradona at all.

COVID has made obesity a much-talked about topic over the last year, shining a light on the health impacts and convincing many men that now is the time to get active and start slimming.

The idea of MAN v FAT is simple: getting people to lose weight together, while playing the game we love. You can join a community of like-minded people with the same goals, play a weekly game of football and enjoy other benefits of membership: expert advice and guidance to help guys lose weight alongside playing football; access to SilverCloud, a mental health and wellbeing app, and The Other Room, an online gym with a wide range of classes; and becoming part of a supportive community of thousands of men in the MAN v FAT Facebook community.

This isn’t about chasing after some lightning-fast Cristiano Ronaldo and finding yourself demoralised by the discovery that your first touch isn’t quite what you thought. It’s going on a journey together, losing weight, being healthier and, yes, maybe getting a bit better at football along the way.

You can sign up to play with MAN v FAT from just £27.50 a month at www.manvfatfootball.org – or find out more on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.