I didn’t walk to all 92 league grounds to prove anything. I walked because I believe in Football for Good – the foundations, charities, fans and volunteers who use football to change lives every single day. Walk92 was my way of shining a light on that world. And what a world it is.
Everywhere I went I saw the power of sport delivered humbly and brilliantly. Chesterfield’s Boots on the Ground. Shrewsbury and Walsall’s back-to-work programmes. Our own AFC Wimbledon Foundation partnering with the Street Soccer Foundation to tackle youth homelessness. And, of course, it wasn’t just foundations: DLAG’s fight against poverty humbles me daily. Walk92 has raised £58,000 so far — thank you to everyone who donated, sponsored, carried my rucksack, fed me, put me up in a hotel or on their sofa. I will never forget that generosity.
The walk itself was a mix of dangerous roads, beautiful paths, and every kind of landscape this country has to offer. Coastal paths. The Cotswolds. And between Barrow and Newcastle, I realised I was quietly walking along the edge of three national parks. I watched some football too — Doncaster v Dons, Wrexham v Sheffield Wednesday, Cambridge v Crawley, and the mighty Tow Law Town v AFC Newbigginfield. Football in all its glorious forms.
But Walk92 was really about people. I walked with friends I rarely see for more than eight minutes at a time, yet we spent eight hours talking about life. Proper walk-and-talk stuff. Deep, honest, overdue conversations. Some people did multiple legs — Mick Lonergan walking for The Jack Lonergan Foundation in memory of his son, visiting the grounds Jack never got to. Jon White and so many others. And I was alone for half of it — which meant thinking time. Real clarity. I thought I’d listen to music or podcasts. I didn’t. I was simply present. And talking to animals: peacocks, a stoat, wild horses, chickens in a Blackburn street, and seeing far too much South Wales underwear roadside. Don’t ask!
A huge highlight was arriving at Wimbledon on Saturday 18 October. We were away at Plymouth which was a shame, but it was impossible to pan around the fixture list. Lana from the Foundation welcomed me warmly, and as at every club, I asked about one of their programmes. Wimbledon’s work tackling youth homelessness with the Street Soccer Foundation is powerful, important stuff. On the Monday I started at Plough Lane again, after a rest day, chatting with Jonesey and the club staff before heading towards Palace and Bromley. I somehow ended up with a Walk91 orange Dons shirt!!
There were so many moving moments. Walking with Taylor Moore at Bristol Rovers, two years on from learning — on the day he signed — that his mother had attempted to take her life. That moment pushed him into mental health advocacy and he went on to become EFL Community Player of the Year. Interviewing Lou Macari about his homeless projects. Arriving at Port Vale and meeting Ronan Curtis, Ben Heneghan and the inspiring Carol — the club owner — who handed us homemade biscuits and gave an amazing interview. Port Vale were brilliant. So were Chesterfield. Stockport too. Proper community action.
Then the giants. Man United supporting 45,000 young people. Man City supporting 17,000, each for an average of 24 hours a year. I visited City’s extraordinary hub — a multi-zillion-pound commitment to community. I arrived fresh from an absolute drenching having walked across Saddleworth Moor in a yellow storm warning, horizontal rain smashing into me. I chatted entrepreneurship at Tottenham, where they have 150 mentors helping young people start businesses. Every club had something powerful.
One of the most emotional moments came near Colchester. My daughter turned up as a surprise and walked the whole leg with me. We met Corin from Colchester United Foundation, marking his 25th year there with a day’s walk. In a community café, a woman on the next table came over to ask about the walk. She became overwhelmed and cried. Dave, an Ipswich fan walking with us, gently asked my daughter how that made her feel. She hugged me and said how proud she was. That moment alone is something I’ll carry forever.
There were falls (near Crewe — five cars went past without checking I was OK!), storms, blisters, seized legs, sore feet. But overwhelmingly there was kindness. Interest. Lifts in morale from complete strangers. A massive team behind me — Gilly sorting accommodation, friends and family on socials, Simon Burton walking with me and providing so much support (it was his idea in the first place), Keith from the Street Soccer Foundation, Julian Agostini and the Mash team, and so many volunteers.
And the DLAG effect. Honestly, people across the country already knew our work. To everyone at DLAG: be unbelievably proud. You are admired nationally. To the club, Trust and Dons fans: thank you. I hope I did you proud.
Walk92 changed me. It reaffirmed my belief that football, when rooted in community, is one of the most powerful tools in society. Physically and mentally it was brutal. But I just pushed on. I had no choice. It all gave me clarity about what comes next…. And there is a next.
A book. A podcast. A Sport Impact Hub — a database of Football for Good programmes. A national conference for the Sport for Good sector. A second version of Walk92 (don’t panic — not 92 days from me again!). The Sports Bank growing nationally. A big football and sport versus cancer initiative. And a volunteering platform I’m incredibly excited about. I’ll need help across all of it — researchers, writers, marketeers, outreach. I can’t do it alone. Big things are coming.
2000 miles. 4.4 million steps. 92 grounds. Done. Yes, all 92
— even the quiet one with the big green shop next door. I recommend doing something mad to everyone. I’m still buzzing.
Football for Good is real. It’s powerful. And Walk92 proved to me that we’re only just getting started.
[The Epic Journey Shines Light On Football For Good story was first published in the December-January 2026 issue of the Wombles Downunder fanzine. Details on how you can subscribe to Wombles Downunder.]
