A football club in Darlington has helped local men shed 100 pounds of excess weight.

Meeting every Wednesday evening at Hummersknot Academy, MAN v FAT Football Darlington encourages overweight and obese men to get fit and adopt healthy lifestyle choices.

At these sessions, players are weighed before competing in matches and results from these games, combined with each player's individual weekly weight loss, contribute to an overall league table.

Ian McGee, the club’s coach, said: "The best thing is seeing the lads improve week-on-week, both in terms of their skills and all-round fitness.

"The club has a great sense of teamwork, while the competitive side comes out both on the pitch and on the scales.

"They have created a genuine community, I can see how they all engage outside of the club.

"It’s much more than just weight loss, we support and encourage each other on and off the pitch."

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Competing with weight-related punny team names like FC Twente Stone and Real Madras, the programme, aimed at men with a BMI higher than 27.5, combines football with realistic weight loss goals.

Richard Crick, MAN v FAT Football Head of Football, said: "While the main aim of the programme is to help men lose weight, MAN v FAT is about so much more than that.

"Great friendships are formed at our clubs and thousands of players across the UK have benefited from an improvement in their mental wellbeing, as well as their physical health."

More than 8,400 men currently participate at over 150 MAN v FAT Football clubs across the UK, having collectively lost more than 700,000 pounds.

As well as football sessions, players receive off-the-pitch support including healthy meal recipes and general fitness tips.

The programme also focuses on mental health benefits and fostering new friendships.

Public Health England data from April 2023 suggests around 71 per cent of adults in Darlington are overweight or obese.