Football fan and guide dog are first to visit all Scottish league grounds
Jon Attenborough and his labrador Sam started their challenge in February 2022
- Published
A visually-impaired football fan and his guide dog have become the first pair to visit all 42 Scottish league grounds.
Jon Attenborough, 34, and eight-year-old labrador Sam started their challenge at a Dundee v Dundee United match at Dens Park in February 2022.
They ticked off their final ground when they watched Forfar Athletic v Stranraer at Station Park on Saturday.
Dundee United supporter Jon, who has no sight in his right eye and limited sight in his left, said it felt like "a massive achievement" having previously lacked the confidence to mix in large crowds.
He 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.
“He’s made a massive difference to my life."
Jon added: “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."
Jon and Sam received an award from the SPFL's Molly Hyde to mark their achievement
The self-employed accountant said he was delighted that more professional football clubs were working to improve the match-day experience for partially sighted and blind fans.
He said: “I love everything about game day – the 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."
The Scottish Professional Football league (SPFL) marked Jon and Sam's achievement by presenting them with an award before the Forfar match on Saturday.
Calum Beattie, the SPFL’s chief operating officer, said: “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.”