Carron Huskies making a big difference to Falkirk area’s larger footballers

The same drive, determination, camaraderie and team spirit which is propelling the Bairns towards promotion is alive and kicking within the Huskie’s hearts too as they work hard to improve their physical and mental health with every match and every training session.

The club has been in existence for just over two years, and was one of the founding members of the Warriors Premier League – now known as the Warriors Football

Gary Nimmo, club chairman, said: “It all started back in 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic as a way of getting people out and about and fit and active – people who had been cooped up for some time."

The Carron Huskies FC wants to win matches - but its main goal is to help players become fitter and more active(Picture: Scott Louden, National World)

"We were looking for the larger people,” said Gary.

The criteria which players have to meet to join Carron Huskies FC includes having a waist size of 38 inches and a BMI (body mass index) of 30.

And former professionals who had let their fitness levels slide were allowed to attend – the club wants amateur, albeit talented, players only.

Gary said: “The Carron Huskies put players’ physical and mental health at the forefront of what we're doing. We have an incredibly supportive group that spur each other on during difficult times, proving a place to talk, to be valued and to be part of a wider group.

“It's incredibly important for us as a club that we do all we can to support our players, both on the field and off."

From those early Friday night training sessions at Little Kerse to help build fitness, more clubs were formed and now the league is SFA accredited and consists of 22 teams who play 20 plus competitive league and cup matches against each other in a season which stretches from August through to May.

The Warriors Football Association is an amateur football league founded in 2019 with the goal of providing a competitive and inclusive football league for players of all abilities.

The league currently has two divisions, the Premier League and the Championship and each team plays each team in their division twice, once at home and once away.

“There are teams throughout the country,” said Gary. “From Ayr to Dundee, Glasgow to Edinburgh. There are some fantastic players involved in the sides and it has certainly grown and developed over the last 18 months.”

However, as the league has grown the players – some who initially topped the 20 stone mark – have inevitably become slimmer and fitter the more they train and play.

Thankfully this does not mean the players who have managed to shed the pounds will be forced to leave the club – ironically becoming victims to their own success at achieving fitness and weight loss goals.

"There are pathways built into the league,” said Gary. “Players who get fitter and lose weight may want to move on and join another club, but they can also stay with the Huskies – we are allowed four players per match who fall below the minimum waist size and BMI criteria.

"If players are getting slimmer and fitter that just means we are doing our job.”

The potential danger of having overweight players running around a football pitch is something the Huskies and the Warriors Premier League take very seriously, with both on and off pitch measures being put in place to make sure people can be as safe as possible while playing the game they love.

Gary said: "We have people who are registered in First Aid and defibrillators on standby down where we train at Galaxy Sports in Little Kerse. We also have a system of rolling substitutes where players can play for a period of time, come off for a breather and then go back on the pitch later on.

“The whole thing is about being supportive and encouraging people to get fit and active. We have a healthy eating group that gives players different recipes to follow.

"It’s about educating and investing in people – we also have some members who are gaining coaching certificates with the SFA.

"The camaraderie in the team is a big reason why it has been so successful.”

The Carron Huskies have been so successful the club is now launching a woman’s team – one that will not have the same strict criteria as the men’s team but which will still concentrate on football and fitness for all.

Gary said: "We are just in the process of following up our success by offering a ladies team, with goals of getting people active and healthy but without the same weight criteria.

“We hope we can increase the number of women taking part and be able to build a similar supportive and dedicated group that we've been able to develop in our men's squads.

"Women’s football is a real growth area at them moment and gaining more supporters all the time.”

Carron Huskies will also be playing their first international matches later this month, with a trip to Germany to play teams with similar size criteria and fitness aims as their own – and to also take in a match as spectators over the weekend as well.

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