‘Check Yer Balls FC’ a team that participates at MAN v FAT Football St Helens were awarded the MAN v FAT Football Team of The Year prize. The honour was presented at Manchester’s National Football Museum, by host, former Liverpool and England International, Neil Ruddock. MAN v FAT Football is a national programme that helps overweight and obese men lose weight through weekly football and healthy lifestyle sessions.
At sessions, players are weighed, which 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 their league position within a club. Thousands of teams take part at 150 clubs across the UK.
Check Yer Balls FC have been recognised for an unbeaten season where the side’s fitness-focused team-mates lost an impressive 65kg between them, in addition to going unbeaten on the pitch, in matches against the club’s other sides. The team also take part in weekly walk and talk outings together, as well as joint park runs. The group also raised more than £1,200 for the OddBalls Foundation, an initiative that raises awareness of Testicular Cancer.
Richard Crick, head of MAN v FAT explains: “The guys from Check Yer Balls FC are the embodiment of the spirit and camaraderie that makes MAN v FAT so special. "When you combine their unbeaten season on the pitch with tangible weight loss and the added health benefits that comes with shedding.