Fat-fighting footballers aiming for Pacific match

A football team made up of men trying to lose weight is aiming to travel to a Pacific island to play its new international team.

Former Premier League striker Dave Kitson was recruited to develop a national team in Nauru and help reduce its high obesity levels.

He invited members of XL FC, a new club in Reading helping overweight men to lose weight through playing football, to take on his Nauru team.

Team member Tom Giles said it was a "really exciting" prospect for the club.

"Most guys struggle to lose weight on their own. So being part of a team gives real encouragement for the guys to keep losing weight," Mr Giles added.

The club, made up of men aged between 20 and 50, was formed two years ago and has seen members lose up to six stone each in weight.

Nauru, which is situated about 3,000km north-east of Australia, is the smallest republic in the world and has a population of about 12,000 people.

Former Reading striker Dave Kitson is currently working to create a national football team in a country where 70% of the population is categorised as obese.

Following his invite, XL FC members are fundraising to travel to Micronesia to play against the new national side.

Another XL FC member Chris Broadhurst admitted they were "distinctly average" as players, but both they and Kitson shared the goal of "trying to get people fitter and more active".

"For us to go there and instil some hope for the guys there, it'll leave a legacy. It's a real opportunity for us," he added.

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