Men in Scunthorpe and Boston participating in an FA-accredited football-based weight loss programme have continued their charitable fundraising efforts by raising £2,000 between them to support charities close their clubs.
The men at the MAN v FAT Scunthorpe club staged an eleven-a-side match to raise money for the Huntington’s Disease Association, an illness that has affected a close family member of fellow player Matthew Gibson.
Huntington’s disease is an inherited condition that stops parts of the brain working properly over time. The charity offers support and advice to those with Huntington’s disease as well as their families, carers, and healthcare professionals.
This was the sixth or seventh match organised by the club in the last 15 months, during which time the players have raised close to £7,000 for various good causes, both local and national.
“Gibbo, as we know him, asked if we could arrange a game to raise some money as this is so personal to him,” explains Jamie Hannath, coach of the MAN v FAT Scunthorpe club.
“We have managed to grow our 11-a-side team and we now also have a development team. We had about 20 players per team, which means everybody gets a run out. We ask each to donate a minimum of £5 or as much as they wish, we had a local FA referee who gave his time for nothing and so, once we’ve paid for the pitch, the rest is for the charity.
“We also do a raffle for some hampers and similar and that raises an extra few hundred pounds. The fact that it is one of our guys whose family is dealing with this goes right to the heart of the community aspect of MAN v FAT.”
The men at the MAN v FAT Boston club staged an eleven-a-side match to raise money for Coningsby Helping Hands, a charity that supports disabled, sick and elderly people in Coningsby and Tattershall. The charity’s chair, Debbie Money, is the mother of MAN v FAT Boston coach, Chris Money.
The club organised an 11-a-side match, in which nearly 40 players took part, with each asked to make a small donation to the charity.
“As a club we try to do a lot of different things for different charities. Each year, we pick a charity to support, and they become the focus of our fundraising efforts. We’re in the process of planning a 24-hour Darts Challenge as our next event.”
MAN v FAT Football currently has 8,200 players taking part in more than 150 leagues across the UK. The total amount of weight lost by MAN v FAT players in the UK currently stands at more than 650,000 pounds. It is aimed at men with a BMI of higher than 27.5.
Before matches, the 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. Players receive additional support including healthy meal recipe ideas and tips on general fitness.
And the MAN v FAT clubs in both Scunthorpe and Boston continue to grow.
“Every member of every MAN v FAT club up and down the country will say they’ve got a special bond with their lads, and we’re just the same. We have just gone from six teams to eight teams in the club and have about 80 lads registered with us. We have a great little community and excellent rapport with other local MAN v FAT clubs, like those in Lincoln, Boston and Hull,” says Jamie Hannath from Scunthorpe.
And the commitment to good causes goes on: “We’re hopefully going to run an eight team seven-a-side tournament with the Hull MAN v FAT club to raise money to support our head coach Dave Bell and his nephews, who will be climbing Ben Nevis to raise funds for The Royal Marsden Hospital following the death of Dave’s sister earlier this year. It gives everybody a sense of purpose, and everybody loves to do something good.”
“The Boston club is also going from strength to strength,” continues Chris Money from Boston. “We started with just one team and have grown from there. We also started a social team to give everybody the chance to play 11-a-side football again, whether you’ve not played for 20 or 30 years, we’re giving people the confidence to kick a football again. It doesn’t matter about ability. It just gets out of the house, to forget about what’s going on off the pitch and have 90 minutes enjoying what people enjoy.”
The Boston club meets on Friday evenings at The Jakemans Community Stadium on Pilgrim Way. The Scunthorpe club meets on Tuesday evenings at Frederick Gough School on Grange Lane.
