Man visits all EFL football grounds in 57 years

A 71-year-old football fan has completed a challenge to visit all 92 football grounds of teams in the English Football League (EFL).

Malcolm Townrow, from Devon and a Plymouth Argyle fan, said it had "only taken" him 57 years, four months and 27 days to complete the challenge.

The challenge is to visit every single football league ground in England and Wales and people had to watch a game to tick off the ground, according to 92 Football Club (FC) Challenge website.

The retired teacher, who taught English and media studies in Plymouth, said he had actually attended 109 grounds as he also visited the homes of relegated teams.

Townrow, who has lived in Plymouth for 40 years, said the first game he attended was at the Old Manor Ground on 21 August 1968 to watch Oxford United play.

"Most clubs to finish the challenge where up north, so it's not easy to get everywhere from Plymouth," he said.

Townrow said he had been stuck on 91 since attending Holker Street, home to Barrow Association Football Club (AFC), in September 2024.

Stok Cae Ras, home to Wrexham AFC, was the final one, which he completed on Saturday.

"[It's] not an easy club to obtain tickets for unless perhaps you are a visiting club's supporter.

"Through a lifelong friend, who has connections via the FA and Wrexham, I was able to attend their game at the Stok Cae Ras."

Townrow's friend Richard Edwardes, who has accompanied him to some grounds, said he had been to six clubs and attended Argyle's home games, but still had "a long way to complete them all" as his friends had done.

Townrow said he first became interested in the challenge after England won the World Cup in 1966.

He described completing the challenge as a "slight anti-climax", adding he had been doing it for "so long".

"You kind of get home and go: 'That's it. What do I do now?'" he said.

He added he was planning to go to the Eriskay Football Pitch, home to Eriskay Football Club, on an island off the coast of Scotland in the summer but said it would take "quite a bit of organisation".

"It sticks out. It's a rocky mound of soil but they've marked it out as a pitch.

"I think it will take me about three weeks to get there by boat and plane."

Founder from the 92 Challenge Stuart Taylor said completing the challenge was something that captured the "imagination of so many football fans".

"Anyone who's done it knows just how big an achievement it really is," Taylor said.

"It's incredibly rewarding, but it's not something you can do casually - it becomes a project, almost an obsession."

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