MAN v FAT Football
MAN v FAT Football is for men with a BMI of 27.5 or over. If you’re looking to get in shape, meet new friends and improve your wellbeing, we can help!
Over 90% of our players lose weight and get fitter, and you can join them from just £35 a month.
150+ clubs | 725,000 lbs lost
How it works
weigh
Weigh in before each game to track your progress.
play
Score points for both weight loss and goals scored on the pitch.
lose
Lose weight, make friends, get fitter and improve your health.
win
Team don’t win the league? You still lose weight. Result.
What to expect after you sign up
1. Sign up
Find your local club, sign up and pay your registration fee. You’ll get access to our member-only portal The Dugout, our online gym and more before your first session.
2. You’ll get a confirmation
We’ll email a confirmation with links to our buzzing Facebook group and your club’s WhatsApp groups, where you can chat with club mates.
3. Get set for success
Once you’ve signed up head to The Dugout, where you’ll get a range of weight loss resources and tips to get you ready for your first day on the pitch.
4. Your Coach will get in touch
You’ll get a text from your coach before you’re assigned to a team (this could take up to a week!).
You’ll start getting charged your monthly fee once you’re teamed.
5. Weight loss journey begins
Time to kick-off your weight loss journey with your first club session. You’ll meet your coach and teammates and do your first weigh-in before hitting the pitch.
What the players think
Don’t just take our word for it. Check out what some of our players think.
Included in your membership
The Dugout
The Dugout is our member-only portal where you’ll find useful articles, recipes, and those all-important club stats.
Man v Fat Gym
We’ve got over 200 classes available on our member-only online gym to improve your fitness, flexibility and strength. Pilates, HIIT, tai chi: there’s something for everyone.
Mental Health Support
You get access to the MAN v FAT x JAAQ platform: a digital tool to help you work through depression, anxiety, and stress with the support of this innovative website, featuring content from our community.
Medals, certificates and events
Win trophies and certificates to reward your progress both on the scales and the pitch, and take part in regular MAN v FAT Football events where we celebrate our members’ achievements.
A community of great guys
One of the best things about MAN v FAT Football is that we’re all in it together, so as well as chatting to the guys in your club, join our Facebook community to get support from MAN v FAT Football members nationwide.
EVENTS
We love building a community not only at sessions but through the year too. As a MAN v FAT member, you’ll get the chance to attend some incredible exclusive events that celebrate the best of MAN v FAT life!
important things to know
RULES
So how does it all work then? Our MAN v FAT rules document all you need to know about our rules and regulations, on and off the pitch.
CODE OF CONDUCT
We want our MAN v FAT clubs to be a welcoming and inclusive place to be. Take a look at our Code of Conduct to get an understanding of what’s expected of you when you come along to a session!
HEALTH RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
MAN v FAT is the place for you to improve your health and wellbeing. Before you get started, take a look at our Health Responsibility Statement to find out what we need from you as a MAN v FAT member.
Find a club near you
We’ve got clubs across the UK, so find one near you to get started with MAN v FAT Football.
Events
We love nothing more than getting the MAN v FAT Football community together for our special events. We’ve been lucky enough to host events at St. George’s Park, The National Football Museum, and the bet365 Stadium.
Check out what we’ve got on this year:
TBC
Amazing Losers
Some of the biggest losers in MAN v FAT history are invited to play with special guest managers at an EFL stadium. A massive celebration of some inspirational MAN v FAT members for all four corners of the UK.
TBC
National XIs Final
This is a culmination of an amazing season of 11-a-side competition, also held at an EFL stadium.
TBC
Annual Awards
A night celebrating the achievements of our community at a prestigious venue. Find out soon who our host for 2025 will be!
TBC
National Tournament
Our small sided tournament returns in 2025, with MAN v FAT teams from across the country coming together for the chance to win the big title.
Real men, real weight loss stories
We call them Amazing Losers, but you might know them as weight loss before and after stories. They’re motivating, honest, and there’s not a magic pill in sight.
Andrew Rowley (Newport)
Age: 38
Lost: 62kg (36%)
I had had really bad back problems and struggled to walk upstairs, so I knew I had to change for myself and my son, I wanted to enjoy doing things with him and be a good role model for him.
On a typical day I’d eat chocolate, crisps, takeaways and all number of fatty and bad foods to comfort myself if I was feeling low. But I’m much better with food now, with a much more balanced diet.
For example, bran flakes and a yogurt for breakfast, scrambled egg on toast for lunch/chicken salad pitta and spaghetti bolognese/ steak and air fried chips for tea!
I feel so much better about myself. Just as importantly, my mental health is a lot better with the support network from football and I haven’t had back problems since I started losing my weight.
Lee O’Kelly (Chester)
Age: 33
Lost: 39kg (35%)
When I first joined, I was the heaviest I’d been for some years and it really was getting me down. At first, I didn’t really change a lot dietwise and I thought I was getting away with it by gradually losing week by week until the week I thought I’d had a good week not eating too much rubbish, no alcohol and I put about 1.5kg on.
This was a turning point for me. I felt I’d let my teammates down, so I began to look at my diet and really focus my mind. I cut out junk food, alcohol and started to eat healthily and to the right portion size.
What I love most about MAN v FAT is the camaraderie, it’s such a welcoming place.
It has also done wonders for my mental health by getting back out and doing something with a great bunch of guys that you know have your back when you’re feeling low. It has been difficult at times, but I’ve always had the guys to fall back on and pick me up when I’m down, also with a strong backing from my wife keeping me going even when I was getting ‘hangry’! Without these people in my life, I don’t think I’d have managed it.
Adam Ratcliffe (Margate)
Age: 32
Lost: 45kg (36%)
I have dieted before but they were often fads. I would focus on the weight loss, rather than fitness. This ultimately meant I lost weight but I was still incredibly unfit. I fully committed to the MAN v FAT challenge and knew this was my best chance of losing weight and keeping it off.
I lost five stone in four months and the other two stone in the six months after that, also reaching a healthy BMI on the way. I don’t think a weight loss journey ever truly ends, you just regularly redefine and adjust your goals.
I undertake so many more activities now that I wouldn’t have even dreamed of. My life has changed so much in the last year.
I play regular football, have become coach of my MAN v FAT club and have taken up running; having just started getting involved in park runs. My youngest is only four, so being able to run around and keep up with her is absolutely priceless.
Charlie Hill (Lincoln)
Age: 24
Lost: 27kg (20%)
It’s changed my entire life. I didn’t really have friends round here before and now I’m part of a big community. The support is amazing.
I had aches in my knees and I wasn’t physically capable of doing things. I was around 22st for a year and built up to that weight for a long time. Ever since I left school and stopped doing sports, I’ve been piling it on.
I used to eat a lot of homecooked meals, like curries and stews, so that hasn’t changed. But my portions have got a lot smaller. Now, I’ll just have one meal deal for lunch and a pack of sandwich meat instead of chocolate, for a protein boost. “I still have cheat days. If you try to be perfect every day, you’re destined to fail.
It’s not just the weight loss but the community. Coming to see people and play with or against them. People really get along and talk to each other outside of the game. I’d 100 percent recommend it without hesitation.
People of all shapes, sizes and varying footballing ability can get involved. It’s a team effort and everyone is welcome.
Tom Read, Cheltenham
Age: 31
Lost: 39kg (26%)
I’ve gone from being the heaviest I’ve ever been to the slimmest I’ve been since my teenage years. It’s allowed me to make some great friends and increase from hardly playing football to playing at least two times a week. It’s also helped me socially because I would go to events thinking that I’d be the largest guy there and made me think that I shouldn’t be there.
I’d heard of MAN v FAT before but I had no idea how much it would change my life. I used to play five-a-side with mates every week but I stopped playing around the age of 24.
The support you get from the coaches is first class and there is no shame in it. With other weight loss programmes, I’d feel under pressure if I’d had a bad week.
“It’s given me a routine that has allowed my mental health and confidence to improve so much, in my past I was drinking so much and just sitting home eating and this contributed to my poor health. If I hadn’t started the weight loss, then I know I would be in a much worse place.
Phil Jubb, Hull
Age: 44
Lost: 28.7kg (20%)
I’ve gone from being a couch potato to being more active than I’ve been since my mid-20s. Being able to shop for clothes in any shop was a big milestone for me.
I knew I needed to lose the weight. Doctors were telling me about being diabetic, the potential heart problems, and six stone later I’m doing alright. I’m not diabetic anymore, I’m back playing NS being an active dad, playing competitive football with my eldest lad, which was a really nice moment.
I couldn’t get around the pitch at 24-and-a-half stone, and I was a bit of a lump to be running around, so my aim every week was to basically get as many goals on the weight loss side, and then I’ve since become a better player on the pitch. The concept is brilliant, it’s worked wonders for me and you don’t want to let the lads down.
If I can do it, anyone can with a few little tweaks to their lifestyle. All those little changes make a difference over time.
The MAn v Fat pledge
We give you
- A safe and supportive platform to lose weight
- Structured weekly sessions to keep you accountable
- Ongoing support and guidance to help you make informed decisions
You give us
- Your time and respect (towards us and your teammates)
- Engagement and willingness to make positive changes to your health
- Commitment to attend weekly sessions