FOOTBALL FANS IN TRAINING (FFIT) is a new nationwide health project that was launched across every club in the SPL.

Supporters can sign up to take part in sessions aimed at increasing physical activity, improving diet and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

FFIT is open to 35-65 year old overweight males and is being provided by St Mirren FC as a FREE service to our supporters! You will become part of the club for 12 weeks, being issued with official club training kit to work with our football and health coaches one evening per week.

It's a great opportunity to improve your fitness, lose weight, and train with fellow supporters at St Mirren Park.

The SPL Trust’s Football Fans in Training project won a European Professional Football League (EPFL) Best Practice Award in the Social Responsibility category.  The winner was announced at the EPFL Gala Ceremony on 7 July and the award was collected by SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster.

The EPFL Best Practice awards celebrate and raise awareness of the very best League initiatives in areas such as Social Responsibility, Youth Development and Communications.

Football Fans in Training is a partnership between the SPL Trust, Football Pools, and the Scottish Government to run twelve week sessions at SPL clubs aimed at improving physical activity, diet and promoting a healthy lifestyle amongst participants. The programme was developed and is being evaluated with academics from the Universities of Glasgow, Dundee and Strathclyde and the Medical Research Council. The sessions are run by club coaches and are aimed at men aged between 35 and 65 who meet any of the following criteria – BMI 27+, belly 100cm + or trouser waist size of 38 inches +.  Over the two courses run so far, 412 men have lost 2366kg or 2.3 tonnes and 2361 cm off waistlines.

SPL Trust General Manager, Billy Singh, said “We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious European Award. This is great recognition for all the participants and community coaches at the SPL clubs. Their dedication and hard work has been a great source of inspiration to others and I would encourage men to sign up for next season.”

Recruitment is under way for year two of Football Fans in Training. To find out more or to sign up call 0800 389 2129, text FFIT 88802 or email ffit@sphsu.mrc.ac.uk

FFIT 2010/11 graduates came together at St Mirren Park on Saturday 18th June to play in the inaugural FFIT 5-a-side tournament.

Teams (and supporters) came from Celtic, Dundee United, Hearts, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Rangers, St Johnstone and St Mirren to play each other and a team from BBC Sports.

All involved with FFIT had an absolutely fantastic day with the boys from Inverness Caley Thistle lifting the impressive trophy with Motherwell a close second and managed an impressive 12-0 win.

Paul Bradley BBC Sports Producer, graduate of Celtic FFIT 2010/11 and team player for BBC Scotland team has created a montage of the day. -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/13846424.stm

DOZENS of portly football fans have proved they are good sports by signing up for a special project that will help them stage a battle of the bulge.

Bosses at St Mirren encouraged overweight supporters to volunteer for the Football Fans In Training programme (FFIT).

And the Paisley club has now unveiled their new signings - all 30 of them!

The FFIT programme has been launched by the SPL and, as part of a 12-week programme, a group of St Mirren supporters are taking part in sessions aimed at increasing their physical activity, improving their diet and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

The project was opened to men aged between 35 and 65 who have a body mass index of 27 or above, a belly which is at least 100cm or a trouser waist size of 38 inches or more.

St Mirren were swamped with more than 100 applications from desperate fans hoping to claim one of 30 places in a bid to shed weight and get back in shape.

The lucky ones who did win a slot have now been ‘adopted' by the Paisley club and have even been issued with official training kit as they work with St Mirren's football and health coaches one evening each week.

Season-ticket holder David Baird, 50, is one of the supporters taking part in the Football Fans In Training programme.

The former American Football player currently weighs in at 20st 7lbs but is keen to tackle the excess flab.

He said: "I'm quite a bit overweight, so I've got a few stones to shed.

"I've been unhappy with my weight for about 15 years. I used to play American Football and that kept me fit but I gave that up when I was about 35. Since then, I've just piled the weight on.

"The only sport I play now is golf. People say to me that playing 18 holes must be great exercise but the trouble with golf is that you can then follow that up with 18 pints in the clubhouse!"

Dad-of-three David added: "I've tried so many diets and some have worked. I have lost four and five stones before but, just when I think I have achieved something, I'll stop doing it and then I end up putting even more weight on than I lost.

"Now that I'm here at St Mirren every other week, that will keep me interested and motivated. I almost feel like part of the club now."

Feeling down

David admits he has been left feeling down as his waistband expanded and has had to hide away holiday snaps of him looking tubby.

However, with the help of his footballing heroes, he is confident of making a difference at last.

David said: "You don't need a weatherman to tell you it's raining and, in the same way, you don't need someone to tell you if you're overweight.

"There have been times when I've been away with the family and I'll look at the holiday snaps and I think to myself ‘I wish I hadn't taken that photo.'

"Sometimes, that can get you down but being here around the club, which I have supported for 40 years, is giving me a lot of motivation and I'm determined to see it through."

Former railway platform assistant David Baldwin, who weighs just over 19 stones, is another Buddie looking to score a significant weight-loss with the FFIT programme.

"I'm diabetic, so it is hard for me to lose weight," revealed 50-year-old David. "I've reached a point in life where I feel it is time to lose weight - and my doctor agrees.

"I would like to lose about five stones but it can be hard to motivate yourself. However, with the club behind me, I'm confident I can finally achieve something.

"Over the years, I've tried every diet going - the cabbage diet, the soup diet and even clubs and groups like WeightWatchers.

"These have worked for a while but I always end up just going back to my old habits. Hopefully, I can now stick to eating the right things."

St Mirren bosses have been so impressed by the success of the scheme already that they have vowed to run another course in 2011.

Community coach Gary Hocknull, who has been helping to run the FFIT programme, said: "We're just a couple of weeks into the course but, so far, it is going really well.

"All the guys here are St Mirren fans and keen to do well. We're just helping them to look after themselves a bit better.

"We're keen to point out that this is not a diet. It's about changing the way they live.

"Hopefully, it will have a positive impact on their lifestyle."