A GROUP of football-mad South Yorkshire Police officers are planning to visit all 92 professional grounds in the country, in the same number of hours, to raise \u00a325,000 for charity.<\/p>\n
Detective Inspector Jamie Henderson, Sgt Scott Sarson and PC James Thorpe, who are all based in Sheffield, will take on the challenge to raise funds for the city\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n
The trio will begin their epic challenge at Barnsley\u2019s Oakwell Stadium at 8am on Friday 12 July, taking in all the grounds from the Premier League all the way down to League Two, before arriving at their final destination, Sheffield United\u2019s Bramall Lane, at 4pm on 16 July.<\/p>\n
Jamie said: \u201cWe are three friends as well as three cops and we usually go away each summer and have a bit of a lads\u2019 weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year we thought we would do something UK-based and do something for charity. We came up with the idea of doing all of the football grounds because we\u2019re all avid fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Visiting the 92 professional grounds of English League clubs is on many football fans\u2019 bucket list, but the group of friends decided to use the trip to raise money for the hospital where Scott\u2019s daughter Lydia was treated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found they had got an appeal for the cancer and leukaemia ward and were trying to get \u00a34.75 million. We just said: \u2018We are all cops in Sheffield and we all live and work here so should support it\u2019\u201d, Jamie added.<\/p>\n
The group have already racked up \u00a31,300 in donations and have contacted every club they will be visiting. This has had its benefits, with Newcastle United agreeing to allow the officers on the pitch despite them arriving at St. James\u2019 Park at 4am.<\/p>\n
For more information or to donate to the trio\u2019s cause visit: www.justgiving.com\/fundraising\/ninetytwo-in-92.<\/p>\n