Never mind the Euros... This summer's MAN v FAT leagues are underway – and these are the stars so far

Euro 2020 has only just begun, but other summer football is already well underway.

With the grassroots game returning, so did MAN v FAT leagues across the country. Over 80 leagues across the country have already been set up, with a further 16 going live this summer – it makes the 11 host venues for the Euros look a little unambitious in comparison.

But MAN v FAT leagues are not about showcasing the continent’s best talent or unearthing new gems: it’s about men who want to lose weight getting together to play football, while getting expert advice on how to shift the pounds. The biggest losers, then, are the biggest winners.

Sound simple? That’s why MAN v FAT is the UK’s leading men’s weight loss programme. Over 5,000 men participate every week in a COVID-safe manner – with individuals as well as teams able to sign up – and 90% of participants lose weight. With a success rate like that, it’s a surprise MAN v FAT hasn’t had two days of stories linking it with being the next Tottenham manager this summer, before landing a better job.

Here are some of the stars of the season so far:

Star coach: James Stanford (Newport League)

Due to the COVID lockdowns, ‘Stan’ has had to wait a little while to get the Newport league started, but has hit the ground running with some great early successes within the league. Stan has gone above and beyond in creating a really strong community in the early days of the league and that collaborative effort with his players has seen them push each other to some fantastic weight loss. He’s a big part of the MAN v FAT coaching community!

Star player: Martyn Bedford (Peterborough League)

For the past four years, Martyn has run the Bedders Cup at Peterborough United’s ground, organising a match there between MAN v FAT players. Martyn has managed the event, getting trophies and medals, and looked after pitch booking by liaising directly with Peterborough. We know many of the players appreciate the opportunity to play at a real football stadium and for most this is the only opportunity they get. 

He also has done really well on weight loss down the years, and is currently at a healthy BMI and now encourages others and has even done meal plans for certain individuals.

Star team: Real Madras (Crewe League)

Pictures: Players files by name

These lads have got off to a flier this season! By Week 6, three players have hit 10% weight loss and as a team, they’ve lost 65.7kg in that time.

Big congrats go to James Bartlett (5%), Dave Goodfellow (10%), Ryan Hickson (10%) and Zach Chambers (10%)!

The team – which also includes Joe van Gelder, Kemal Cakli, Ken Jones, Oliver Hancock, Rich Stelmarch, Rob Nixon and Sean Murphy -  push each other through each week and are a great example of how the MAN v FAT community works together.

Think you could match any of that? You can sign up to play a weekly game of football in a MAN v FAT league if you have a BMI of 27.5 or over, and you’ll get expert advice on how to lose weight – with the rest left up to you. The leagues are about wanting to lose weight and enjoying football, not having pressure to stick to strict regimens. You’re not signing up for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in 1996, after all.

Joining up also gives you access to SilverCloud, an online mental health and wellbeing app, and The Other Room Gym, an online gym with a wide range of classes, as well as becoming part of a supportive community of thousands on the MAN v FAT Facebook page.

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.