A visually impaired football fan and his labrador guidedog have become the first man and dog pair to visit every single SPFL stadium.
Dundee United supporter Jon Attenborough, 34, and his beloved dog Sam, eight, ticked off the last of the SPFL’s 42 grounds on Saturday when he attended Forfar Athletic v Stranraer in William Hill League Two at Station Park.
The self-employed accountant from Perth said he’s “thrilled” he’s been able to complete the stadium tour challenge, which involved him travelling hundreds of miles across the country in his attempt to raise awareness of how accessible Scottish football is for people with visual impairments.
And after completing the challenge on Saturday, the pair were presented with gifts from the SPFL for what they’ve achieved – with Jon receiving a special commemorative plaque and Sam a version of an SPFL medal to wear around his neck.
Jon said: “I’m a big football fan and love Scottish football, so it’s amazing to have visited every single ground with Sam. It was such a special day completing it.
“It feels like a massive achievement being able to visit them all – I never thought I’d able to do it. It’s all down to Sam that it’s been made possible.
“I didn’t have the confidence to navigate big crowds on my own before Sam. He’s made a massive difference to my life.
“The aim of this was to raise awareness of how accessible Scottish football is for people with visual impairments, and I believe it’s been successful in doing so.
“Receiving these awards from the SPFL was a lovely added bonus and one that I’ll really treasure.”
Lifelong football fan Jon has been visually impaired since birth. He has no sight in his right eye and limited sight in his left eye.
He was partnered with guide dog Sam in 2018, and his confidence in attending games has grown in the years since then.
He had attended a number of Dundee United home games over previous years, but started his challenge to “Complete the 42” in February 2022 when he watched his team draw 0-0 at derby rivals Dundee.
His challenge has ramped up since the start of 2024, with Jon and Sam travelling to up to two to three games a week across the SPFL’s four divisions.
The pair have travelled to every game by public transport, usually by train and they have also sometimes used taxi for the final leg of his trip.
He chose Station Park as the final destination as the town of Forfar is home to a Guide Dogs for the Blind training school.
Jon added: “I love everything about gameday – the matchday atmosphere and the crowd noises.
“A growing number of clubs in Scotland now have audio descriptive commentary, which really improves the experience.
“Sam loves it too. He’s usually doing one of two things. He’s either dead alert and watching the ball or he’s sound asleep and couldn’t care less.
“I’ve had such positive feedback from fans across the country about what I’ve been doing, so it’s been a really positive experience for me.
Calum Beattie, the SPFL’s chief operating officer, said: “Everyone at the SPFL would like to pass on their congratulations to Jon and Sam for their successful tour of our 42 league grounds.
“We wanted to get them a little something by way of thanks for all Jon and Sam’s hard work, and we’re really pleased it has been so well received.
“It’s been great to hear Jon has such positive feedback of his experiences at our clubs and I’m sure that they’ll both be more than welcome at any of our games in future.”
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