The male love of football may be the key to improving fitness and tackling obesity, according to researchers in Glasgow, Scotland.
Researchers used Scotland’s football clubs to persuade fans to undertake a fitness programme.
Today they report the success of the programme – revealing that on average participants lost nearly a stone or 5kg over the period of a year.
They have reported their findings in The Lancet and in BMC Public Health.
Some 747 men took part in the project, staying on the programme for 12 weeks.
Researcher Professor Sally Wyke, of Glasgow University, said: "We now have ‘gold standard’ evidence that the Football Fans in Training programme can help men lose weight and keep it off.
"After 12 months, the difference in weight loss between men who did the programme and men in a comparison group, who did not do the programme, was 4.94kg."
One of the participants said: ""I was very aware that every time I was buying a new suit, the trouser size was getting bigger and I just wanted to address it.
"And with Football Fans in Training having a tie with the team I’ve supported all my life, I felt that the two kind of – they fitted nicely. It meant I could do something and I could get a wee sneaky peek behind the scenes at the club."
Another researcher Professor Kate Hunt said: "Participants really enjoyed being with other men like them, with a shared interest in football and similar health issues to address. They loved having the opportunity to spend time at the club, using parts of the stadium that they couldn’t ordinarily access.
"And they appreciated the chance to be encouraged, trained, and informed by the club’s coaches. This model has real potential for the future."
Lancet 21 January 2014 [abstract]
BMC Public Health 21 January 2014 [abstract]
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