Britain’s ‘Amazing Losers’: The amateur footballers who lost a tonne of weight ahead of Sixfields Stadium showdown

Thirty men from around the UK, who have lost more than a tonne of weight between them on a football-focussed weightloss programme, have been given a taste of what it is like to be a professional in a match at Sixfields Stadium.

The inaugural ‘Amazing Losers’ match on Tuesday, May 24 saw two teams of amateur footballers from the MAN v FAT Football programme coached for the evening by manager Ian Holloway and former Wolves and Colchester United player, George Elokobi.

The players went head-to-head in a special 90 minute 11-a-side match at Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium and drew at a score of 2-2 in normal time before George’s team triumphed 3-1 on penalties.

Every player had lost between 25 and 50 percent of their weight after joining the MAN V FAT programme. For many of the men taking part, this represents a total weight loss of between 30kg and 50kg (4.5-8 stone). The total amount of weight shed by the two teams in the last year stands at 1,034kg, or 162 stone.

Players wore shirts with their name on the back and the amount of weight lost as their kit number.

One of those who played was Caz Cusumano from Peterborough, who has lost 32kg on the MAN v FAT programme.

Mr Cusumano said: “It was an awesome evening. It was so much fun and honestly one of my proudest moments to date. I’ve never played in an 11-a-side and what a game for it to be my first.”

He added: “The club I'm in is so supportive and, if it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I could have stayed so disciplined. The motivation comes from the team’s all for one, one for all mentality. There’s no embarrassment as we are all striving for the same goal.”

MAN v FAT Football has helped more than 15,000 men from across the country with a BMI of above 27.5, return to a ‘healthy’ weight through football and lifestyle advice, with 8,000 currently active in the programme.

The programme takes place at over 160 clubs around the country.

Head of MAN v FAT Football, Richard Crick said: “The Amazing Losers match was a celebration of some of MAN v FAT Football’s most amazing losers over the last 12 months.

“There are only a very small number of individuals who have taken on their battle with fat and conquered it with such incredible results. As well as having astonishing personal stories, many of the players who took part in the Amazing Losers fixture are real inspirations to fellow players at their local clubs.”

At MAN v FAT Football sessions, players are weighed before they play a 30-minute game of six-a-side, with extra goal bonuses awarded to teams based on the amount of weight players have lost.

Weight loss and match scores then contribute to teams’ league positions within a club. Players receive additional support including healthy meal recipe ideas and tips on general fitness.

The programme was created by Andrew Shanahan, who, fed-up with traditional weight loss classes primarily aimed at women, decided to develop a programme that combines football with achievable weight loss goals for men.

To find out more about the programme, visit https://manvfat.com/.