03/03/2025
Player Profile - Matthew Swain
Matt joined our Harrogate league last season and quickly established himself as an integral part of OB City’s triple winning season.
Matt won our player of the season award as the league’s biggest losing player. He’s lost an astonishing 14% or 15.3kg since joining and it’s not slowing down.
Matt’s commitment and enthusiasm serves as an inspiration for others in his team and league as a whole.
In the first of a series of player profiles, we sat down with Matt to ask for his perspective on his journey with MAN v FAT Harrogate.
*Why did you want to join MAN v FAT?*
My weight had gradually crept up to a point I had tipped over into the ‘obese’ category of the BMI chart. I decided to do something about it, but gyms and diets in past haven’t worked for me. I saw an advert for MAN vs FAT Harrogate on social media and loved the idea immediately. It’s a great mix of football, social time with like minded people and fun competitive league scoring which really spoke to me as something I wanted to get involved with and could genuinely help me lose weight.
*Aside from weight loss, what were the goals you set yourself?*
Definitely better fitness and better overall health was a big driver for me. When I was younger I had good fitness and was very active. As an adult I don’t have as much time to stay active so my overall fitness and health had declined. I set myself a goal of improving my fitness and overall health.
*What have the been the biggest differences you’ve noticed since you started your journey with MAN v FAT?*
I’ve lost weight, my mental health has improved, my relationship with food has improved dramatically and I’ve now got a really strong network of like minded people around me that I can tap into if I have any questions or if I’m struggling at any point with my weight loss journey or general mental health.
*What advice would you give to people in their first few weeks of joining?*
Enjoy it, take it all in, don’t rush yourself, aim for slow steady weight loss not quick and drastic. Finally don’t worry about the level of your footballing ability remember that what you do off the pitch is far more beneficial to your teams score than what you do off the pitch.
*What differences have other people noticed about you since you started your journey?*
I’ve had a lot of comments recently from people (especially those you haven’t seen me for a while) saying how different I look and how much better I’m looking. When your weight gain happens gradually you don’t notice the changes as much.
I’ve had nothing but positive comments from my friends around me and my teammates.
*Is there anything you’d say to people thinking about joining?*
Definitely give it a go, sign up, there is no ongoing commitment and there is a squad of players on your team so you aren’t committing to playing every week.
The mix of football, social, competitiveness and a really supportive team around you have given me a great platform to succeed and lose weight. It’s definitely worked for me!
You can join up at https://www.manvfatfootball.org/harrogate
MAN v FAT Harrogate Town AFC Community Foundation
