Wakefield man hailed as a 'champion' after five stone weight loss on football programme

Reece Theobald, 25, who plays for MAN v FAT Wakefield, and his fellow players from the ten MAN v FAT Football clubs in Yorkshire lost 2071kg (326 stones) between them last year.

Reece, lost five stones in weight (33kg) throughout 2022 on the football-based weight loss scheme that encourages men to get fit whilst having fun.

The programme, MAN v FAT Football, is an FA-affiliated scheme with more than 170 clubs across the UK.

The programme was created by Andrew Shanahan, who, fed-up with traditional weight loss classes primarily aimed at women, decided to develop a programme that combines the beautiful game with achievable weight loss goals for men.

Before matches, players are weighed, which is followed by a 30-minute game of six-a-side, with extra goal bonuses awarded to teams based on the amount of weight players have lost.

Weight loss and match scores then contribute to teams’ league positions within a club.

In 2022, Reece was just one of five out of the 8,500 men currently participating in MAN v FAT Football in the UK to be named a ‘Player Champion’.

Reece said: “At 25 years old my knees were becoming arthritic, and it was painful to bend. I triggered a genetic heart condition which got worse as I was putting weight on. My mental health was deteriorating with very low self-esteem and body shaming myself.

I was waiting for MAN v FAT Wakefield to start up so I could make a change to my life. The first couple of weeks were easy to settle into. Everyone was so welcoming and all in the same boat. We pushed each other to play good football and lose weight at the same time.

It’s safe to say it has 100% changed in my life. It’s a strong community of lads who want to make a difference whether you’re 25 or 50 years old. It doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad at football because the effort is shared off the pitch. My confidence is through the roof. I’d strongly encourage blokes to get involved if they want to lose weight."

Greg Hudson, coach for MAN v FAT Wakefield, added: “Reece is a great guy and really encapsulates what MAN v FAT is all about. He is normally the first one there and the last to leave regardless of when his game is.

"He’s consistently lost weight since joining and has improved massively as a player. He’s an absolute pleasure to coach and a fantastic example of what can be achieved with the right attitude, he’s been an inspiration to his teammates, motivating them when there has been struggles.”

The Wakefield club meets on Friday evenings at Aspire at the Park, Park Road, Pontefract.

Players can join up at www.manvfat.com/football and they can get more information by emailing [email protected].