Five football fans from Autism Unlimited in Christchurch are undertaking a whistle-stop tour of 92 grounds in 92 hours to raise awareness of autism and their charity.
The ‘92 in 92’ comprises Damian Brown, Nicky Edwards, Cara Kirby, Alistar Reed and James Underwood – a mix of teacher and teaching assistants from Autism Unlimited Portfield School in Parley.
In the Easter holidays the team will drive 2,400 miles between the top 92 football clubs in the Premiership, Championship, League One and Two.
Their journey begins at Portfield school at 4pm Wednesday, April 20, with the team’s first stop at St Mary’s Stadium, home of Southampton FC.
Eating and sleeping on route, they plan spending 10 minutes at each of the 92 clubs… long enough to grab a quick picture of their progress.
They will document the journey on social media as they go, ending their epic adventure at 11am Saturday, April 23, prior to the match against Fulham FC.
Portfield school teaching assistant, Alistar Reed said: “We all love football. We love watching matches, going to home games and travelling to games. The staff room conversations are usually about football so when this idea was suggested, we thought why not?!
“People will be able to follow us on Facebook and we aim to ‘report live’ from each stadium. Everything is sorted, transport, the route to follow and a schedule to keep to, along with the drive and energy to raise both awareness of Autism Unlimited and money for the charity to help continue its amazing work.”
The team hopes to attract both individual and corporate sponsorship through their efforts and has set and ambitious target of £92,000.
Assistant head teacher Nicky Edwards said: “It will be great fun. But what matters the most is improving awareness and raising money, allowing Autism Unlimited to invest in the best services.
Suin Cranny, Ceo of Autism unlimited said: “I am so proud of these guys taking on this amazing challenge. They all make a huge difference to young lives, and are now making a difference in the Autism Unlimited community.”
The team can be supported at justgiving.com/campain/all92in92challenge
Any companies wishing to support the team and have their logos featured on the team’s social media should email Fundraising@autism-unlimited.org.

by Grace Kehoe