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For live leagues (these are leagues that are currently running) it costs £9.99 to register as a player, or £17.99 with a copy of the five star rated The MAN v FAT Weight Loss Manual (RRP £12.99). You then sign up to a league and pay £25 per month.

For planned leagues (these are leagues that will become live leagues when we have enough players signed up to start them) it costs £1 to register as a player. We take this payment to reserve your place and so that we can verify your identity. When we have enough players to start the league you would be charged the remaining £8.99 to register fully and when your league started you would pay £25 per month. If you cancel the direct debit mandate with us then we assume that you do not want to be part of the league any more and you are deleted from the system.

If you are joining a free league then you pay nothing to register or play - your costs have already been covered by a funder, most often your local authority or a national funding body such as Sport England. Sometimes the funder asks us to take a deposit for players to ensure that they turn up - if this is the case then this deposit will be refunded providing you attend (which seems fair!)

The cost to your health of not signing up is potentially tragic.

That depends on how much you put into the league and how much of the support you take (the more, the better!) In an assessed 14 week pilot scheme run by Solihull Council, players lost 22lbs on average, with 62% hitting their 5% body weight target. The maximum weight lost by one player was 67lbs and the maximum bodyweight percentage lost was 26%. 95% of players lose weight.

Because they love football and hate being fat. They see all the things that their weight is cheating them of: the ability to play with their children (or how it’s embarrassing their kids), how much their body hurts with aching joints, snoring and wheezing every time they climb the stairs, never finding any clothes that fit... the list goes on. All of them join with the motivation to lose weight and do so in a way that is truly enjoyable and inspiring.

Because the leagues are not just decided on the games won on the pitch, but also on the weight lost off it, you can join a team as a non-playing member. This means that you weigh in every week and support your team. Your weight loss counts towards your team’s success. When you’ve lost enough weight to feel comfortable joining in then you can get involved on the pitch.

Approximately 80% of players do. We put you into teams and help you to get to know the other players. Equally, if you have friends, colleagues or family who also want to lose weight then join with them and you can be in the same team. We even pay you a fiver for every player you introduce to the league.

We have a number of live leagues and free leagues all over the country. Take a look at the leagues page on this site to get a full run-down. We also have a number of Planned leagues where we are recruiting players and will launch a league in that area when we have enough guys signed up. Give us a call if you're a football club, company or local authority who wants to bring a league to your area - 0845 163 0042.

Take a look at our full list of FAQ here. If that doesn't answer your question give us a call on 0845 163 0042 or email us on football@manvfat.com and we’ll do our best to help.