12th April 2021, the day I realised that I needed a change.
I joined Man V Fat with the intention of starting and carrying on a healthier lifestyle paired with a better mindset. Throughout my younger life I had played rugby and only ever dabbled in football when it was a friendly 5 aside game here and there, but when this opportunity came about, it was something I knew I needed to throw myself in to.
During the pandemic, I had ballooned to a whopping 25 stone, which was caused by a lack of work and the easiness to just ‘binge,’ whether that be on food or what became a somewhat obsession: red wine. This also led to my mental health to take a dive and was really impacting my day to day lifestyle. I struggled to climb my three sets of stairs let alone, try and manoeuvre round a football pitch.
This decision was by far, one of the greatest I’d made.
MvF, paired with the inception of Blackpool United, gave me a purpose again, it gave me the team camaraderie that I had so desperately missed, and it gave me a chance to play a competitive sport again, all whilst having an underlying purpose…. A better lifestyle.
This team over the years has grown from strength to strength and I have created some really good friends from it. July 2022, highlighted this, I tore my meniscus whilst playing football. My first thought was… “I’ll never play again,” this was also echoed by the specialist who dealt with my case. However, Gary gave me a lifeline and I became his ‘Ass Man,’ I know it sounds seedy, but it gave me an outlook, a ‘light at the end of tunnel,’ that I had been so desperately seeking. This gave me my fill of football, as I persevered on the warm days on the touchline, aided by two crutches and the underlining resentment for everyone who was playing.
Fast forward to 2024, Blackpool United has become without doubt, a major part in my life. 3 years on from that really low point in my life, when the darkest thoughts would take over and grip you day by day, I feel so much healthier both physically and mentally. If you’re thinking about joining… just do it!
I can’t recommend this team enough.