As the government announces its measures to combat the obesity epidemic in the UK, the nations largest provider of small sided football sent out a simple message: Get fit With Us!

Leisure Leagues have hundreds of thousands of players across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and as Director Tom Nash explained, takes its responsibilities to the health of the nation very seriously. “We are by far the biggest hirer of leisure facilities anywhere in the UK,” said Tom, “and as such, we absolutely take the situation we are in as being one of utmost importance and we are saying to communities everywhere, let us be your fitness fix.”

Government figures are stark. When Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, revealed his measures – including a ban on fast food advertising –  this morning, he laid out some jaw dropping statistics too, including 8% of critically ill patients in intensive care units with the Covid-19 virus have been morbidly obese, compared with 2.9% of the general population.

This is on top of 876,000 hospital admissions in 2018/2019 having “obesity as a major factor”. Almost 40% of people between 25 and 34 were registered as overweight, a rate that has not decreased over the last decade, and is way ahead of most European countries.

These figures, which Tom said he found “shocking” can be improved by just one game a week of 6 a side football. Research has shown that 30 minutes 6 a side can burn 400 calories and that players on average, run 3.24km in a match, plus the untold benefits to mental health that team sport can bring.

Tom suggested that this was ever more vital in this post-Covid age as we all look to get back to normal. “Our players aren’t always the ones who were the best at sport at school,” he suggested, “but they can all enjoy some of what is the most inclusive sport in the world.”

This commitment to community runs right through what Leisure Leagues do, with the firm already pledging to give its profits to charities and good causes throughout the world, with Cancer Research UK and The Dogs Trust already amongst the beneficiaries.

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