Photo: Newsteam/via Daily Mail
Saints be praised! A new football league has been launched that caters solely to players of a stately and corpulent persuasion.
Indeed, the Man V Fat league is only open to beefy blokes with a body mass index of 30 or over. The idea is to encourage overweight men to get off the sofa and get some exercise in a shame-free environment.
Points are awarded for winning matches but also for the amount of weight lost after each game. All players are part of the Man V Fat weight loss motivation group, but the 14-week football season is completely free to members.
The league, which is centred in Solihull, is the brainchild of Andrew Shanahan, who ironically is now too lean to compete in it after dropping from 17 to 12 stones while playing football.
Talking to the Daily Mail, 37-year-old Andrew revealed that he first came up with the notion after becoming weary of attending weight loss classes.
I was shocked at how little support blokes get for weight loss. There was no help for me, and all the classes seemed tailored to womens’ needs.
I remember going to a Weight Watchers meeting and I was the only guy there. It was embarrassing and I was so out of my depth.
That’s why men fail. Blokes think if they are going to lose weight they need to run a marathon or do some Spartan event. That’s the wrong path.
You should change how you eat, change your attitude to your lifestyle. And you need support.
Jay Ali, a 32-year-old bank manager by day, explained just why the league has proved so popular with chaps who struggle with their size.
I didn’t want to play football with my friends who are all fitter than me, so this gives me the perfect opportunity to exercise with guys who are the same as me.
No one judges you. It’s a brilliant idea that has exceeded my expectations. It doesn’t matter if you have a body like Cristiano Ronaldo, or if you’re a size XXXL.
Sounds right up our street, dabbling in the odd pie as we do.
A cracking idea and a worthy cause. Well played gentlemen, well played!