A Liverpool-based charity has come up with an original concept which encourages men to lose weight, keep fit, and make new friends.
Manwell has set up a football league in which teams are awarded points in the traditional (three for a win, one for a draw), but are awarded an additional three points if, as a team, they have lost the most weight.
Players are weighed upon arrival and their BMI data is kept in a system to measure their progress.
The footballers must have a BMI of over 27 to join the Thursday league in Prescot, but there are also sessions held on a Monday in Toxteth which are all-inclusive, but still focused on well-being.
The charity carries out questionnaires to measure the well-being of their members on a regular basis.
Alun Evans, a trustee at Manwell, said: “When I was younger, I didn’t make friends very easily, and I wanted to lose weight. Then this opportunity came up and I decided I would take it on with both hands.
“The weight loss is not going so well! But the social side of it has brought out a completely different side out of me.”
I’ve lost five stone since joining. I’m very proud
Another trustee, Chris Barbour, said Manwell is having a ripple effect on his life.
“I got married in the summer and several of the guests were people I met through Manwell,” he said.
“Endless things have happened to me because of Manwell. I’m playing regular football, I’m getting fit, losing weight … I’ve lost five stone since joining. I’m very proud of it”
The charity will hold an awards ceremony in December to celebrate the end of the season, before the league starts up again in January.
Mark Renshall, a member and team captain, said: “I got some bad injuries back in the day and thought I would never play again but I joined Manwell and the set up is great, the lads are magnificent.
“Joining has been great for my mental health and believe it or not I have lost weight!”
Manwell are expecting to see numbers grow now they opened their new site in Toxteth.
Watch Daniel Zambartas’s video report here:
Featured image (c) Manwell
