It was another night to remember at the National Football Museum on Saturday, as the MAN v FAT community came together to celebrate the successes of the past twelve months at the MAN v FAT Awards, sponsored by Higos.
Nearly 200 people were in attendance from all corners of the United Kingdom, with players and their friends and families joined by partners and sponsors to acknowledge the incredible efforts of our men and the communities that have been formed out of their MAN v FAT clubs.
The night was expertly compered by MAN v FAT HQ’s Stuart Normansell, who was joined on stage by co-host Neil Ruddock, who regaled the audience with stories of his football career and his own battles with weight over the years.
The audience were also given an emotional and heartfelt presentation from The Traitors’ finalist Andrew Jenkins, who spoke about his own passion around men’s wellbeing, following a road accident that changed the direction of his life.
Many of our accolades went west once again this year, with Merthyr picking up three awards, Swansea collecting a further two and, just over the border, Yeovil also securing two of the special titles on offer. Margate also picked up a brace of awards on a busy evening of celebration.
It was a night to remember for Yeovil’s Aaron Knight who, having had multiple nominations in previous years’ awards, finally got his hands on silverware with the Community Hero award, thanks to his efforts to support the club’s fundraising and community efforts.
[TAKE A LOOK AT OUR GALLERY OF IMAGES HERE]
Fresh from leading his side to the National XIs title, John McNamara picking up his own trophy, as he grabbed the XIs Manager of the Year award.
With XIs registrations soon to reopen, there will be plenty of clubs and managers looking to overcome Preston’s stranglehold next season!
Damon Stevens, who had featured in MAN v FAT’s 10 Years video series, captured the Coach of the Year title for his efforts at Maidstone (along with stints looking after our Brighton and Ashford clubs).
And Alex Cook, from Portsmouth, held off stiff competition to land the Amazing Loser accolade, with his sizeable weight loss in his time on the programme.
As the night came to a close, the community drifted into Manchester to celebrate their achievements and reflect on the hard work that had got all nominees in the spotlight on the night.
Well done, everybody!
THIS YEAR’S WINNERS
We’ve spoken about some of our winners above, but here’s the full list of those who took home the silverware.
All of our nominees deserve a huge amount of praise for their achievements, too!
Media Mogul – sponsored by Reach PLC
Paige Beaumont (Merthyr)
Referee of the Year
Francis Empson (Margate)
Assistant Coach of the Year
Kyle Lewis (Swansea)
Most Valuable Player
Ryan Harry (Bridgend)
XIs Player of the Year
Michael Eames (Swansea)
XIs Manager of the Year
John McNamara (Preston)
Community Hero Award – sponsored by Plexal
Aaron Knight (Yeovil)
Most Active Player
Jay Huntley (Margate)
Team of the Year – sponsored by D4PMedia
Check Yer Balls FC (St Helens)
Regional Partner of the Year
Newcastle United Foundation (North, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland)
Isle of Wight Council (South)
Sutton United Foundation (Central)
National Partner of the Year
Newcastle United Foundation
Regional Community Club of the Year
Warrington (North, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland)
Sutton (Central)
Yeovil (South)
Community Club of the Year
Yeovil
Regional Coach of the Year – sponsored by Football365
Alex Williams (Merthyr)
Damon Stevens (Maidstone)
Jared Fellows (Abingdon)
Coach of the Year – sponsored by Football365
Damon Stevens (Maidstone)
Regional Club of the Year
Merthyr (North, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland)
Oldbury (Central)
Isle of Wight – Sandown (South)
Club of the Year
Merthyr
Amazing Loser – sponsored by Higos
Alex Cook (Portsmouth)
