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Table 4 Examples of verbatim quotes illustrating what FFIT is NOT

From: Do weight management programmes delivered at professional football clubs attract and engage high risk men? A mixed-methods study

 

Verbatim quotes

FFIT is NOT : a ‘diet club’, the gym, for women

Extract 1

M5: I think we were quite happy it was just men, to be honest. We spoke about going to Weight Watchers or that… but we were saying that, a lot of things are set up and it is mainly female – so it was good to see something that was just for male…

M1: For guys.

M2: I’m not being sexist or anything, but…

M1: That’s right. I think the majority felt that Weight Watchers was not for us. That was very much a women’s thing.

M2: That’s a ladies’ thing.

M1: And, sorry for being sexist, here, but it’s, I think the majority felt no, Weight Watchers or Scottish Slimmers or whatever.

M5: They’re always targeted at women.

M1: Was targeted for women. It was never targeted for men… And even a lot of the exercise classes that gyms run are targeted for women and not for men.

M3: I think ladies, to come to something that we’ve been on for the twelve weeks, wouldn’t maybe appreciate the language that’s used. You know, it’s all guys that’s there and, you know, it’s football.

M2: Yeah, you see ‘cos, it was not exactly industrial language, but there was the odd bit of comment and football slagging and stuff like that. And yeah, we would laugh it off but somebody [?a woman] might not.

M3: They might take offence to it.

M2: They might do… I thought it was easier to build up the camaraderie without ladies being there. (Club08 FG)

Extract 2

M4: No, but blokes don’t diet, and I think if – blokes are like a wolf pack. If they get on together, they support each other really, really well, and if they don’t get on with each other, one goes off and he’ll go to his own devices, and if someone turned round and said to me this was a diet club, I would have said, “No, I’m not interested. Not interested.”

M1: Yeah, that’s right.

M4: But as it’s a way of life, and the way you’re looking at that and healthy eating and so on and so forth, I think when you do come here, you build up that camaraderie and you build up that friendship, and if you see each other, you say, “Hi, how’s it going?” If you wanna get in contact with certain people, you’ve got their email addresses and stuff, how’s it going – but I think if someone said diet, I don’t think any of us would have been here, to be fair. (Club06 FG)

Extract 3

M1: I mean, the common denominator is football. We all like football, you know? And that gets us all going.

M4: Of course it does.

M3: That was it.

M2: The good thing, to me, is I didnae like going to a gym. I would prefer to go to a class, or have somebody telling you what to dae [do] and what not to dae. It was kinda like, I don’t want to go to a gym and see all the younger ones, the fitter ones – and you got a kinda, you look roon [around] and you think they’re looking at ye [you]. “He’s that fat he cannae [can’t] even dae that.” And that was the kinda thing I liked. You come here, everybody was in the same boat – everybody was between a certain age and overweight, ‘cos that’s how I got into it. (Club10 FG)

Extract 4

M1: Well, I would never go to a gym, to be honest. I’ve tried. Kept saying I was gonna do it, but I would have mucked about on my own for a while and I still wouldnae have done anything. But the fact it was [Club05] Football Club you were going to made it more palatable, you know?

M3: Doesnae matter what club, ken, and if you’re into that club, I think you’d go, and it would spur you on. Rather than Weight Watchers.

M1: The fact we got a top, as well, I think, you know? You had a training kit and the training top on and things like that, you were always quite.

M3: The fact, walking about the stadium, up and doon the stairs. (Club05 FG)

Extract 5

M1: From day one, it was stressed in here, this is no a diet, it’s not a diet.

M2: Yes, aye, uh huh. It’s not, it’s a change in lifestyle as much as anything. (Club01 FG)