Fat-fighting footballers celebrate winning streak

Teesside Erimus FC is made up of men trying to lose weight

A football team made up of men trying to shed weight is celebrating losing pounds rather than matches.

Teesside Erimus FC, based in Middlesbrough, remain unbeaten after 16 games, after winning the Yorkshire XL Football League last season.

The club was founded in 2022 for men with a body mass index (BMI) above 27.5 and despite not winning a competitive game in their first two years, they are now enjoying a long period of success.

But players said the football was "almost secondary" to the improvement in their mental health, with chairman Martin Walker saying the club was "always open to anyone looking to get back into football".

The Yorkshire XL League is made up of teams which focus on wellbeing and weight loss.

Teesside Erimus has had more than 120 members since it began and in total the team has lost more than 3,000lb (1,360kg), with some players losing up to 35% of their bodyweight.

When Mr Walker sustained an injury and was told he could not play sport any more, he put on 8st (51kg).

"I was very active beforehand, but once I got big it was harder to begin exercising again," he said.

Playing in the XL League for the past four years had seen him drop from wearing 6XL size jumpers to a large, he said.

Teesside Erimus FC have won 16 matches in a row

Team captain and goalkeeper Chris Stephens said joining the team was one of the best things he had ever done.

"I have watched lots of people join and they really come out of their shells," said Mr Stephens.

"They go from being too scared to ask for a pass to screaming at each other for it.

"The football is almost secondary to the mental health improvement."

The club runs sessions throughout the week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and plays matches on Sundays.

Their next league match is against Newcastle MVF on 12 October at Leisure United Washington Hub.