Hidden Heroes of Football – But Most Fans Can’t Name Them

Hidden Heroes of Football: Walk92 Mobilises Fans as 3 in 4 Supporters Don’t Know What Their Club Community Schemes Do

A new survey of football fans shows only 1 in 4 fans can name a club community project, but 3 in 5 want to volunteer or donate.

Football fans overwhelmingly believe clubs should invest in their communities, but most don’t know what their club foundation actually does or how it’s funded. New research from Walk92 (undertaken by research partner, Obsurvant), reveals that while nearly 8 in 10 fans think clubs should back charitable foundations, only 1 in 4 can name a project. 3 in 5 fans say they want to volunteer or donate but few actually have.

Key findings:
• 50% of fans don’t associate football clubs with a charitable foundation
• Only 25% say they can name a project their club’s foundation runs - most of these mentions were unrelated national campaigns (e.g., Soccer Aid, Kick It Out)
• 61% would like to volunteer or donate to a club foundation in future; only 32% have ever done so
• 79% agree clubs should fund foundations to help communities

“Fans get the power of football to change lives. They just haven’t been shown where to plug in,” said Xavier Wiggins, Co‑Founder, Walk92. “Walk92 is joining these dots up. We’re inviting every fan, club and foundation to walk that connection raising money, awareness and volunteer time for the amazing community work happening quietly all over the country.”

Theo Dominian, Senior Research Manager at Obsurvant, commented, “Whilst football fans are clear on the importance of community sports programmes, our research shows a real lack of awareness of the work football foundations do. Our data highlights the importance of Walk92’s mission to support these foundations and the amazing work they do in local communities. We are proud to partner with Walk92 and support them with this research.”

Walk92 launching 2 August 2025 is a never before attempted, 92-day, 2000 plus miles, walking challenge between all 92 professional league clubs in England and Wales, undertaken by Xavier Wiggins, to celebrate football for good.

Fundraising from Walk92 goes directly to the Football For Good beneficiaries including The Street Soccer Foundation, Sport Local Action and club foundations.

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For more information: www.walk92.com
Full Obsurvant report attached.
Press Contact: Simon Burton, Walk92 Co-Founder. simon.burton@exposurecom.com


Note for Editors: Walk92 is a continuous 92-day walk visiting all 92 current English league football clubs, plus three additional football landmarks, covering every step on foot and completing the journey within exactly 92 calendar days.

While others have completed 92-club challenges by attending matches, cycling, or walking over longer periods, this is (as far as we are aware) the first time anyone has done it in this way: a sequential, time-bound walk across the footballing map of England and Wales.

Walk92 is a unique journey celebrating football, endurance, and the landscape and footballing architecture of England and Wales.

About Obsurvant:
Obsurvant is a dynamic insights agency dedicated to making the latest research technologies accessible to everyone, regardless of budget or experience.

Specialising in tailored polling solutions, Obsurvant places data quality and representative audiences at the core of each survey. Delivering targeted consumer and B2B respondents globally within tighter timeframes, empowering our clients to make confident, data driven decisions.