Tell us a bit about your experience as part of the coaching team with MAN v FAT
Whilst I may never have had the label of coach whilst at Sutton, I was a big part of the operations there season 3.
I then had the opportunity to step up to be a coach at MAN v FAT Wimbledon, with Nicola – having been a very strong member of our team at Sutton – stepping up to be coach there.
Even though this may be a session based role, coaching is also a cause for immense pride, and pleasure in what we do here. And I hope our counterparts around the nation also see it that way.
I have actually given up taking on a volunteer role back with the police service that I left last January because I have a need within me to want to give back. I thought “specialing as a constable” would do it again and keep some skills sharp, but I am in actual fact sating my need to give back to my communities with coaching. I really hope that in my time I can help prevent or reduce the chance of someone being in my position just over 3 years ago, where I was rushed to hospital with an obesity related cause with life at risk.
So moving to Wimbledon, our first season was crazy good. We’ve seen some real results and made a community from it.
I did my typical end of season awards do which I funded myself this time, just to get it off the ground really. I want these players to have the same experience that I got in my first few seasons and it has done a world of good.
As an example of our club spirit, a couple of players finished their game early and just watched the other two unfold purely to spectate and support the players in other teams that they now know at the club. It was a real special moment and that’s what I strive for – a community and culture that then makes the rest of it all click into place. A place where players want to come, be accountable for their weight, have a good time, and hopefully see the weight drop off them whilst having a good and healthily competitive time.
Being a coach has been amazing, it has propelled my own efforts as I have sat at the 20% milestone for long enough and basically stabilised there for a year, but wanted to show that I can also reach further goals again – coaching Wimbledon has motivated my own efforts to do more in my own. I got my 25% just before Christmas and, at the time of writing am heading towards 30%.
What do you enjoy the most about supporting the lads in your club?
I get a sense of pride in myself that I am doing this, that I am able to give back, and that I know I am fairly good on comms which helps the lads get what they need out of this as well. I can really drive this and my hope is that what my efforts give to them is the vehicle to lose that weight, feel better, and have a damn good time doing it.
If done right then hopefully you have some more spirited lads to take and grow the campaign even further with even more clubs and even more coaches to facilitate them.
What are you hoping you can achieve by being a part of the coach committee?
I think where the campaign has grown exponentially since inception in 2016, the coach committee is about getting the voices in to link it all back up again. Make something that is that big, smaller in terms of how it runs and manages itself. I hope I can lend my voice to help that, improve and optimise where needed, and mature the process with things that we see, live and breathe on the shop floor so to speak. I also hope that I can raise elements of where the digital system we use for weighing in could be improved if we had access to a few more statistics.
Ultimately, MAN v FAT has already done the incredible work for me. I’ve lost what I’ve lost, I had lots of options and plenty of time to do it before but could never get these things to work for me. MAN v FAT put all the tools in front of me and let me go ham at it (by not eating ham) and its finally worked. I’m thinner, I’m lighter and I’m fitter.
I am still 39 turning 40 this year though so, until MAN v FAT develops the fountain of youth then there is always room for improvement!
