The club is the latest in a growing nationwide programme designed for overweight men with a BMI of over 27.5. It is inspired by a hugely successful football-based programme, MAN v FAT Football, that has helped tens of thousands of men lose more than 700,000 pounds of unwanted weight in the last ten years.
But the initiative isn’t just about kicking fat into touch, MAN v FAT players across the UK have spoken about making new friends, building confidence and improving their mental health with the help of the programme.
The Wigan club will start on Thursday 27th February and will take place each week at Dean Trust Rose Bridge, Holt Street, Ince-in-Makerfield from 7.30pm until 9pm. At a session, players will have a quick catch-up with their teammates and coaches before being weighed to track their weight loss or gain across a week. They then take to the pitch for small-sided touch rugby games where points are awarded to the winning teams.
The points on the pitch then combine with team members’ personal weight loss progress to contribute to overall standings in the Wigan club’s league table. Matches are managed by qualified referees, with trophies and medal awarded to winning teams and outstanding individual players at the end of a season.
MAN v FAT Rugby Lead, Karl White explains: “We were really encouraged by the interest shown in MAN v FAT Rugby ahead of the programme launching in Wigan and are looking forward to meeting our players when sessions get underway.
“Despite our name, MAN v FAT Rugby is about a lot more than just losing weight. In many cases, we’re providing men who haven’t picked up an oval ball in years the chance to get back into playing a sport that they love, without the fuss of having to get a group together or book facilities. Equally, if you’re worried about not being fit enough, that’s okay - we will help you play at a safe pace that you are comfortable with.
"We’re also aiming for our Wigan club to become a real community for the men that get involved. We’ve seen through our football programme that sessions are genuine highlights in our players’ weeks and somewhere that they build confidence, make new friends and improve their mental health, while losing weight.“
The club has spaces for new players and it’s never too late to join. More players means more teams within a club and we find that the more competitive our clubs are, the more weight our players lose.” More information about the club can be found here: manvfatrugby.com/club/wigan/