A new football league that aims to help overweight men slim down is opening in Bermondsey later this month.
Man v Fat, a nationwide weight loss organisation, is launching its latest football competition alongside Millwall Community Trust on August 26.
Matches will take place every week for fourteen weeks, with the aim of helping the people that take part shed pounds, as well as improving their mental health and general wellbeing.
You have to have a body mass index (BMI) of at least 27.5 to take part. Anyone with a BMI above 25 is technically overweight, according to the NHS.
Dan Church, Man V Fat’s regional manager for the south-east, said he had had “his own journey with weight loss”.
“I lost over ten stone in sixteen months through the programme,” he said. “Being part of a team and having that camaraderie really helped.”
Taking part in the tournament costs £27.50 per month, as well as a £1 discounted sign-up fee if you use the code southeast. That’s more than many gyms, and considerably more expensive than going for a run. But Mr Church said the social aspect of Man V Fat and the support participants get from their teammates means signing up for the tournament is worthwhile.
“There’s a social aspect, there will be people who want to lose weight but also want to get a good social circle going,” he said.
“As well as 90 per cent of guys who take part losing weight, 93 per cent report other health improvements.”
There is no equivalent league for women at the minute, but that “could be something that comes in the pipeline”, Mr Church added.
“The main reason we looked at men was the market is predominantly focused on women with products like Weight Watchers – we wanted to get guys to feel comfortable while losing weight.”
The Bermondsey tournament is still taking new applications. When you sign up, a computer assigns you to a team based on their BMI.
Some 40 people have signed up so far. Depending on how many people apply, the league will have between four or six teams.
Sign up here: Manvfatfootball.org/Millwall