A football club in Eastleigh has helped its players to lose more than 66 stone in weight over the course of last year.

Man v Fat Football Club is weight loss initiative that aims to help overweight and obese men with a body mass index (BMI) of over 27.5 lose unwanted weight through weekly football and lifestyle coaching sessions.

Players meet every Friday evening at the Stoneham Lane Football Complex, where they are weighed, before playing 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 its position within a club’s overall league table. 

Public Health England data published in April 2023 suggests that 66.4 per cent of the adult population in Eastleigh is considered overweight or obese.

READ MORE: Almost 5,000 residents supported by Saints Foundation

Sam Mintrim, 24, joined Man v Fat Eastleigh in July 2024 weighing almost 14 stone, which he has since reduced to 11 stone, losing 20 per cent of his body weight.

“I had just come back from holiday, and I was looking at pictures from the time away and I was just so unhappy with how I looked in all of them,” said Sam.

“I was speaking to a good friend at work about it and how I needed to get my act together, which is when he mentioned about Man v Fat and all that it had done for him.

“He was aware I used to play football, but that I had stopped due to my weight gain and being too unfit, so I had him help me get set up. It was great because we got to be assigned to the same team and that was how my journey started.”

He added: “Before joining I was at the lowest point of my life.

“My weight was gained due to a lot of personal issues and my coping mechanism was eating food. I was ordering four or five takeaways a week and I live alone so I'd secluded myself.

“I was stuck in a cycle of eat to be happy. I never thought the link between a healthy lifestyle and mental health would be so strong, and ever since starting Man v Fat my life has changed entirely for the better.”