New football league for overweight players heading to Sunderland to tackle men's health
“Heart disease and suicide are the two biggest killers in men and this new league will help to tackle both.”
The words of Dan Davison who is setting up a football league at the Downhill Centre in Sunderland for overweight players to help support men’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Dan, 35, is setting up the league after harnessing the power of football to overcome his own mental health and weight problems.
He said: “I used to play a lot of football, but I got a bad injury in my early thirties. I put a lot of weight on and when I went back and started playing I suffered the same injury.
“My weight went up to about 16-and-a-half stone and it really affected my mental health. I had a lot of anxiety about playing again and so I joined I local league specifically for overweight players and got my weight down to 12 stone 9lbs.”
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Despite shedding the pounds, Dan, who lives in Wakefield, didn’t feel he got the required support, game time, or value for money.
Along with friends Adam Cann, Joel Small, and Danny Moore, Dan decided to set-up their own league for overweight men with a greater focus on mental support and ensuring players get at least 50 minutes of game time.
After proving to be roaring success, Dan is now bringing his Football XL initiative to Wearside after Leisure United Downhill agreed to host the league.
He said: “Between January 2025 and January 2026, 100 men have taken part in the league and lost a combined weight of 1.2 to tonnes. We conduct weekly surveys in which the players rate their mental wellbeing scores out of ten and during this period people’s average scores went up by an average of two points.
“I’m sure the league will prove to be a similar success in Sunderland. Heart disease and suicide are the biggest killers and if we can help to prevent this in just one man then it will be worth it.”
On the reason for choosing Wearside to set up their second league, Dan added: “We got in touch with the Football Association and asked for a part of the country where we could make a real difference and they suggested Sunderland.
“We ensure teams are balanced with a similar standard of players to ensure a fair competition.”
The league is due to kick-off in May and will run on Friday night’s - “to keep people out of the pub” - between 7pm and 8pm, with the first month offered at a reduced rate of £10 per player to allow people to decide if they want to continue.
Dan said: “I look forward to playing every week and have made lots of friends. If you come along then you won’t look back.”
You can find out more and register an interest on the Football XL website. To qualify to play, people must have a body mass index of 25.