The players of Man v Fat’s Carlisle league were in action this week, for the final game of season eight. After on pitch scores were added to off-the-pitch weight loss goals, the new champions have been confirmed.
Fatarselona Orange’s wait for a Man v Fat league title is over, after they secured an emphatic win against Fatburn Rovers in the final game of the season.
After two seasons of near-misses in the Carlisle league, the Oranges were finally able to celebrate their first league title following goals from Ben Snell, Jack Cooper and Steve Wright. Cooper also earned the man of the match accolade, thanks to his excellent movement, pinpoint passing and goal scoring double.
The Oranges went into the final game knowing that a draw or win would be enough to finish top. A 5-0 win on the pitch, followed by a stellar off-the-pitch effort, meant that the final score ended 15-5 to the new champions.
As the result was announced, players from across the Carlisle league were quick to congratulate the winning team. “Well done Oranges. A really good competitive season” and “well deserved… I played against every team. Yours was class and a machine,” claimed two opposition players.
Others commended the season-long combined on and off-pitch efforts of the side, saying “Well done oranges, shows you the importance of off the pitch. Third on the pitch but due to off the pitch top. Class effort,” and “Well done Oranges, well deserved lads!”
Boiling down to the final day of the season, the title race remained as competitive as ever, with Saint-Eat Again Greens a close runner-up, and Parmesan Belgrade remaining in the hunt until the end.
The Orange side produced a memorable season, amassing 16 points with eight wins, zero draws and two defeats from 10 games.
Post-match, delighted captain Steve Wright said: “The lads did a great job off the pitch with a number of them smashing more than one weight target.
“It is great to see how much you can see it on them, and how it helped on the pitch. We’ve finally won the league! Well done lads, a great effort!”
Elsewhere in this week’s games, Saint Eat Again Greens played out an entertaining 17-15 match against Scran United Reds, and Borussia Muncheneverything Whites commanded a 125 victory versus Parmesan Belgrade Blacks.
Individual performances were once again a highlight of the week. Sam Philpot for the Blacks was commended for his work rate, contributions in both attack and defence, as well as causing a problem for the opposition during transitions.
Mike Vevers was involved in everything positive for his Reds side, scoring two goals and tirelessly tracking back, while Hugh Godfrey for the Blues remained composed on the ball, linking well with team mates and spraying accurate passes, despite fearsome conditions and a tricky playing surface.
For the second week running, Scott Clarkson’s tireless work-rate and all-around performance for the Greens was applauded. His excellent finishing resulting in a double for his side.
Also for the second week on the trot, Liam’s control and goal scoring for the Whites earned him accolades. The opposition captain praised him for his “constant energy, drove his team forward and took his goal well.”
This week also saw brilliant weight loss achievements across the teams, led by Andrew Trickett, achieving a 10% total body-weight loss, and David Longworth achieving his 5% loss milestone after a huge 10.8kg loss.
The league’s head coach, Beverley Young, said: “Week 10 has been our best on the scales, with more than 22kg lost and five of our teams being rewarded with 10 hat trick weight loss goals.
“Congratulations to our season eight league winners, Fatarsealona Oranges, who ended in style scoring an extra 10 off-the-pitch goals, thanks to their food and activity tracking and seven players losing weight.
“Hats off this week to David Longworth for losing nearly 11kgs since his last weigh-in, helping Scran United Reds earn six extra weight loss goals this week!
“A special mention to Fatburn Rovers Blues too, who managed to reverse their recent five-week streak of gaining weight by losing 2.9kg.
“Now onto our four weeks of cup games and then a redraft across all the teams for season nine!”
Man v Fat Carlisle is a weight-loss football league for overweight or obese men with a BMI of 27.5 or above, and provides a supportive and friendly environment for men to lose weight and improve their overall health and wellbeing, with over 1,400lb lost so far.
The league – which combines football with a weight-loss programme that includes diet and exercise advice, weekly weigh-ins and support from fellow players – has been a resounding success, with dozens of players from across Cumbria experiencing significant improvements in their physical and mental health.
The matches take place on every Monday evening at the Harraby 3G pitches on Edgehill Road.
For more action-packed photos and highlights, or to join the programme, visit www.manvfatfootball.org/carlisle or search Man v Fat Football Carlisle on Facebook.
Readers of this article can receive a special discount when signing up, by using code CUMBRIA when prompted on the Man v Fat website.
