South Florida soccer fans are using their love of the sport to get off the couch and on the pitch — but the only way to win the game they are playing is to lose. Heather Walker explains in this 7Spotlight.
Monday nights at Brian Piccolo Park are all about soccer. These guys are doing more than just playing for fun; they’re playing to lose.
Igor Felicioni: “And I’ve lost, since I’ve started, I’ve lost about 20 pounds.”
Mario Fernandez: “I’ve lost 30.”
The players are all members of the MAN v FAT sports league. It helps men improve their health by playing weekly soccer games. The program started 10 years ago in the United Kingdom.
It immediately became a hit with guys who wanted to have a fun — and easy — way to improve their health.
Richard Crick: “These aren’t the guys that are looking for the perfect diet. They actually just need to reduce their calorie intake, lower their snacks, less takeaways, less alcohol, more physical activity, more walking.”
Last year, organizers took MAN v FAT to South Florida. MAN v FAT Broward currently has four teams made up of men of all ages. Players have to be at least 18 years old and be considered “clinically overweight.”
They don’t need to know how to play; they just have to be willing to get up and get active.
Richard Crick: “And they’re all united by that fact of looking after each other and losing some weight, getting out and having fun.”
Igor Felicioni plays several positions for his team, Ozempic Lyon. He said his family is his biggest reason for taking on the challenge of getting into shape.
Igor Felicioni: “I just want to hang out with my son more. And I get tired when I play with him and, you know, I figured I need to be there.”
The players are all weighed before each game. For every two players that lose weight, an extra point is added to their team’s score in the game. It’s a way for all players to help their team win, even if they don’t make a single goal.
Mario Fernandez: “For us, for the ones of us that don’t score many goals, it’s a way to contribute to the team as well.”
Sixty-year-old Mario Fernandez never played soccer before joining MAN v FAT. Joining Team A1C Milan was the perfect fit, because it’s helping him control his diabetes.
Mario Fernandez: “I’m in the pre-diabetic range now, so that’s been a big plus. And losing weight is great. I feel so much better.”
Coach Felipe Herrmann tracks the players’ weight each week. He said, at the beginning of the season, many of them were dealing with depression and cut themselves off from the world.
Felipe Herrmann: “They were not able to go in public places because they felt bad about it. They weren’t able to go the gym because they feel that they’re being judged by that.”
But as the pounds fall off, their self-esteem goes up.
Felipe Herrmann: “But the good story is that now, most of them are getting back to normal lives. They’re able to go to the beach, go to clubs, go to the gym.”
The players also gain a team of supportive friends they look forward to seeing every week.
Mario Fernandez: “You know, friendships that we’ve made and the pounds that we’ve lost.”
So far, MAN v FAT Broward has collectively dropped over 500 pounds in two seasons.
It shows that sometimes the best way to win is to lose.
Heather Walker, 7News.
MAN v FAT has also started teams in Miami-Dade.
For more information on the MAN v FAT league, click here.
If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.