Guildford footballers named as Community Club of the Year by nationwide FA-accredited programme

The Guildford club, which meets on Friday evenings at Kings College -Community Sports Hub on Southway, currently has 68 club players smashing their weight loss targets on a weekly basis. In the last twelve months players at the club have lost more than 34 stone of excess weight between them and the weight loss keeps growing week on week.

“Not only do the coaching team provide excellent support to the members at the session they go above and beyond to ensure members are supported outside of the club,” says Karl White, Regional Manager for MAN v FAT.

“Sam, the coach, has close connections with the local Andy Mans Club and will always offer to support a member should they want to attend, and even attend with them to further support their attendance. Mark, the Community Champion and Hayden, the Assistant Coach, have taken full control over their positions within the club introducing extra football sessions as well as being creative with graphics and social media posts. The club recently introduced an awards night held on a separate night to the session bringing a large number of the team together for a meal and drinks, to celebrate the wins but also get to know each other as friends away from the club.”

Mark Smithies, the club’s Community Champion, says:

"Winning community club of the year is a special award because it represents the whole club and not any one individual. Guildford is made up of men from all walks of life but there is a common goal that brings everyone together on a Friday night and what starts as weight loss leads to mental wellness, a feeling of belonging, social acceptance and self confidence that each player feels."

MAN v FAT is a weight loss initiative that aims to help overweight and obese men with a BMI of over 27.5 lose unwanted weight through weekly football and lifestyle coaching sessions.

At sessions, players are weighed, this is followed by a 30-minute game of six-a-side football, with extra goal bonuses awarded to teams based on their weight loss. A team’s total weight loss and match scores then contribute to its position within a club’s overall league table.

8,500 men currently take part at more than 150 MAN v FAT Football clubs across the UK. The programme was created to differ from traditional weight loss classes and combines the beautiful game with achievable weight loss goals for men.

Aimed at men with a BMI of higher than 27.5, the total amount of weight lost by MAN v FAT players in the UK currently stands at more than 800,000 pounds.

In addition to football sessions, MAN v FAT players also receive off-the-pitch support including healthy meal recipe ideas and tips on general fitness.

Players also get free access to a bespoke mental health platform through MAN v FAT partners JAAQ.

2025 will see MAN v FAT expand its offering with the launch of 15 new rugby-based weight loss clubs across the UK. The rugby clubs will follow MAN v FAT’s key principles, offering overweight and obese men the opportunity to lose weight at a sustainable pace, through weekly rugby, health and wellbeing sessions.

Find out more at: https://manvfatrugby.com/

To find out more about MAN v FAT Football and to locate your closest club, visit www.manvfat.com/football