Our latest group of Fit Reds participants have come to the end of their 9-week programme!

Aimed predominantly at inactive males aged 35 and over, the programme aims to help change the lifestyle and physical activity of participants.

Delivered in partnership with Be Well Barnsley and Person Shaped Support, Fit Reds was designed to use Barnsley FC as the driving force for men to become healthier and lead a more active lifestyle.

Throughout the programme, our Fit Reds have been working towards a number of personal goals from the start of the course, whether it be losing a few pounds or lowering their blood pressure.

In order to make their goals more attainable, all who took part kept food diaries and regularly monitored the levels of exercise they did outside of the course, as well as other small lifestyle alterations.

They also received an informative talk midway through the programme on Prostate and Testicular Cancer, delivered in conjunction with South West Yorkshire NHS Partnership.

Participant Giuseppe Brullo came onto the Fit Reds course to generally improve his physical fitness and try to make some positive lifestyle changes along the way.

On completion of the programme, he said: “It’s been a really great experience and I’d recommend it to everyone. It’s good that anyone with different levels of fitness can take part because you can turn up and work to your level.

“After 12 weeks, you can definitely feel you’ve gotten fitter and depending on your goals, you’ll have managed to achieve them.

“It’s been a great experience, a great way to meet new people and make new friends, as well as make some positive changes that will last forever.”

Fellow participant John Naughton, who also completed Fit Reds’ full 9 weeks and has found all aspects of the course useful, feeling there are lots of beneficial points to take away.

“It’s been fantastic,” John added. “The classroom sessions have been really informative and all the lads have said that none of it is boring. The circuits have definitely improved my fitness and the football has been brilliant, I’d recommend it to anyone.

“I’ve pretty much managed to achieve my goals, I wasn’t too bothered about my weight but I’ve lost a couple of kilos, but my main aim was to improve my fitness.

“I definitely feel fitter and I just wanted to feel a bit more energised and get back on track with some exercise and it’s definitely worth it.”