Tubby or not tubby, that is the challenge

A FOOTBALL manager has taken a bet that he can hit a weight loss target – and raise £1,000 for the team he manages.

Martin McConachie is determined to lose the bulk of his 22st 10lbs and as an extra incentive has laid a £50 wager with bookmaker William Hill.

The dad-of-two has been offered odds of 20-1, meaning if he successfully loses 6st in 10 months, he will be able to use his windfall to buy Deerswood Youth Colts a new kit for next season.

The 44-year-old freelance writer said: "I am very overweight and have been trying to shed the pounds for several years with no success.

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"I had to try and find something to give me the motivation to do it this time. If I lose the weight, then Deerswood under-12s will get the £1,000 from William Hill and it will act as a hell of a motivation for me to do it. The thought of letting down 16 kids, two of whom are my sons, would be a real shame so I am hoping it might finally do the trick."

It is not the first unusual bet Mr McConachie has won from William Hill. In 1999, he bet that he could eat 48 Kit Kats in a day, scooping £500 at 10/1. And the year before he successfully went to all 92 football league grounds in a fortnight, again winning £500.

He manages the under-12s side who play in Kingswood and include his 11-year-old twin sons Harry and Ryan. The team are top of Division D of the Avon Youth League, but by next season they will have out-grown their blue and yellow strip.

Mr McConachie, of High Street, Oldland Common, is 6ft 4ins tall and puts his ballooning weight down to a lack of willpower, sedentary lifestyle and the stresses of modern life.

He hopes completing the challenge by August 4 next year will also set a good example for the team and his sons, showing what can be achieved with a determined mindset.

Since starting the challenge on October 4, he has been going to the gym in Longwell Green three or four times a week, doing calorie-burning exercises such as cycling, swimming and cross-training, and has started eating more healthily.

Weighing himself every week at his local branch of Boots, the printouts will document his progress.

"My sons have told me they believe in me, which has really spurred me on to lose the weight," he added.

William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: "Mr McConachie seems like someone with quite a lot of determination and because the bet is to raise money for a new kit for his football team, I have a sneaking suspicion he might just do it.

"It's one of those bets where it's not going to cost us a small fortune if he is successful. We wish him good luck – it's obviously a very good cause."