Made in
Buxton
Our story
Two groups, started two years apart
DadBods came first, in 2018.
It started with one simple idea: give men somewhere to train, have a laugh and get a bit fitter without needing to completely change their lives to do it. Monday night became the habit.
Over the years the group has grown, the WhatsApp chat has got busier and the reasons people turn up have changed. Some want to lose weight. Some want to get stronger. Some just want an hour away from work and the kids. Most probably want a mixture of all three.
FFC followed in 2020 — a football session for men and women who wanted to play, get fitter and have a laugh without the pressure that can come with joining a traditional football team.
Some had played for years. Some hadn't touched a football since school. Some were there for the football. Some were there because they knew they'd get a good workout.
Both groups have grown from the same thing: people turning up.
The club
Two sessions a week. Plenty going on between them.
- 2018DadBods since
- 2020FFC since
- 2Sessions a week
- £7–10Per session
But DadBodsFFC isn't really about two hours of training. It's what those two hours create around them: a reason to get moving, a reason to leave the house, and a group of people who notice when you haven't been around.
What we stand for
Four things we don't budge on
Everyone starts somewhere
You don't need to arrive fit. You don't need to know anyone. You don't need to have done anything like this before.
You just need to turn up. We'll take it from there.
Turn up as you are
Pay per session — DadBods £10, FFC £7. No joining fee, no contract, no sales pitch.
Come along, see what you think and decide for yourself.
Train hard. Train sensibly.
We want you to work hard. But we also want you to enjoy it and still be able to function the following day. 😂
Everyone works at a level that's right for them, exercises can be adapted when needed, and there's no prize for trying to prove something you don't need to prove. Work hard. Know your level. Come back next week.
The chat matters
The session might only be an hour. The community doesn't stop when it ends.
The DadBods group chat is full of food, training, challenges, encouragement and plenty of nonsense. The FFC chat sorts the football, teams, who's playing and the occasional night out. Then there are the quarterly walks, the monthly chip butty and pork scratching nights, and everything else that happens outside the sessions.
The training gets people through the door. The people keep them coming back.
More than fitness
Two hours a week can do a lot more than make you sweat
This was never set up as a replacement for your mates, your family or your social life. It's simply another place to have them.
Getting people talking is easier when they're doing something together. A workout gives you something to focus on. A football gives you something to argue about. A walk gives you somewhere to go. And somewhere along the way, people who didn't know each other start becoming mates.
Nobody is forced into anything. Nobody has to share their life story. But if you're around the same people every week, you start noticing when someone's having a good week — or a rubbish one.
That's become one of the best things about DadBodsFFC. The fitness matters. The people matter more.
It's not just Monday and Wednesday
The community keeps going
There are plenty of things that happen outside the regular sessions.
Walks
Family-friendly walks around Buxton and the Peak District.
Socials
Yearly nights out, and monthly food and drinks after a session.
Challenges
Steps, workouts, habits and competitions to keep things interesting.
Football
FFC sessions, tournaments and whatever else we can find an excuse to kick a ball around for.
The group chat
Probably the most active part of the whole club.
Who runs it
The person behind DadBodsFFC
Shaun coaches the sessions, organises the groups, writes the workouts, sorts the football, runs the socials and generally keeps everything moving.
He's been coaching fitness for more than 20 years, including over a decade in CrossFit — but the important bit is simpler: he wants people to enjoy training and actually stick with it.
DadBods and FFC aren't about building the biggest possible class. They're about building something people want to come back to.
The group
It's not really a club without the people
The sessions might have a coach, but the community belongs to everyone who turns up.
- People help set things up.
- People stay behind.
- People welcome new faces.
- People organise lifts, walks, nights out and extra training.
- And, occasionally, people get blamed for absolutely everything that goes wrong. 😂
That's how it works. Everyone brings something to it.
From the group
In their words
“Placeholder quote — a member on what DadBodsFFC has changed for them beyond the fitness side.”
“Placeholder quote — someone on turning up as a complete newcomer and how quickly they felt part of the group.”
“Placeholder quote — someone on the walks, socials, football and the people they've met through DadBodsFFC.”
From Buxton
A local club for local people
DadBodsFFC started in Buxton and that's still where it belongs.
The Peak District is on the doorstep. The people are here. The pubs are here. The hills are definitely here.
And there are plenty of people in Buxton who want to get fitter, play football, meet people and do something a bit different without feeling like they have to become a completely different person first.
That's who we're here for.
Turn up and train
Come and see for yourself
You can read the website. You can look at the photos. You can watch the Reels. But you'll get more from one Monday or Wednesday night than you will from anything written on this page.
Come and see what it's actually like. You don't need to know anyone. You don't need to be fit. You don't need to be good at football. You just need to turn up.
Come and join us. 👊⚽