Carlton slammed for creating ‘fat club’

AN AFL team has been accused of “social stupidity” for creating a “Fat Club” for players who don’t meet fitness standards.

AFL club Carlton has been accused of “social stupidity” for creating a “Fat Club” for players who don’t meet specific fitness levels.

New Blues coach Brendon Bolton reportedly set up the group as he looks to improve performance standards at last year’s wooden spoon winner.

A Fairfax report suggested each Carlton player had to have less than 12 per cent body fat — measured through skinfold testing — or face extra training sessions in a group called the “Fat Club”.

The initiative appears to have had a positive effect at Carlton. The Fairfax report noted there were 10 players in the “Fat Club” at one point this summer but that has reduced to just one.

But former sports administrator Brian Waldron has slammed the Blues, suggesting it was socially irresponsible to name the group the “Fat Club”. “Surely they could call it something else,” Waldron told SEN.

“To have a football club talk about a fat club — you only need to walk around the streets of Melbourne to see how many people are overweight. Some of it unfortunately is by their own doing, some is hereditary, some people can’t help it.

“There will be kids walking around school today being told they’re in the fat club and I think that is just social stupidity to be calling a group of players into a group they call the fat club.”

Lachie Plowman leads the Blues on the track.

Waldron said Carlton’s new approach to training should have been kept in-house. “They shouldn’t flag that they’ve got this thing, they’re on this mission to make all this noise and get as much media as they can,” he said.

“I tell you where they can get media — if they win games or be highly competitive and their kids perform. The way to sell the club is ‘we’re building and it’s going to take time’ — there’s no other promises they need to make. I don’t think that’s a good news story.”

Former AFL player and coach Terry Wallace agreed the name of the group wasn’t ideal but suggested it could produce results for the Blues.

“I think it can impact and we saw certain players in the competition last year not be in the best shape they could possibly be in,” Wallace said.

“Buddy (Franklin) wasn’t anywhere near as good as shape last year, I don’t think Daniel Wells was anywhere near, then go to (Steven) Motlop down at Geelong.”

Carlton opens the AFL’s preseason competition with a game against Hawthorn in Tasmania this Thursday night.

Carlton footballer Clem Smith.

Originally published as Carlton slammed for creating ‘fat club’