Blackmoor resident, Phil, embarks on his football wish list tour

Lifelong football fanatic, Phil, has set out on a mission to fulfil his dream of seeing all the football teams across the West Midlands play in their home grounds.

Phil is a lifelong Aston Villa fan and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023.

As Parkinson’s is a progressive condition, his diagnosis has made attending games challenging, but his passion for football carries on.

Bonding over the love of the game

When Phil moved into Blackmoor last year he quickly bonded with the football-loving colleagues.

Before long, he’d set an ambitious goal: to watch a home game at every football ground in the West Midlands.

Clinical Nurse Manager and avid Birmingham City fan, Anna-Marie, is determined to support Phil’s dream before his condition progresses further.

She reached out to all the football clubs in the region to share Phil’s story.

Aston Villa was quick to respond after hearing about Phil’s decades-long commitment to the club.

Heading down to Villa Park

Phil attended his first Villa game in over 40 years, supported by Anna-Marie and David Henderson, Maintenance Technician, at Villa Park in September.

Courtesy of the club, Phil enjoyed watching Villa defeat their neighbours, Wolverhampton Wanderers, 3-1 in a sensory hospitality box for the local derby.

Making memories and achieving goals

Phil was “football obsessed’ from a young age, spending hours each weekend researching teams, players and tactics.

Now, he wishes for nothing more than to see the teams he loves play in their own stadiums.

A visit to Villa Park and ticking two teams off his list is only the start of Phil’s mission. In a recent interview with the BBC, Phil shared his commitment to seeing as many local teams as possible.

Since then, the team at Blackmoor has secured a visit to West Bromwich Albion for their home game against Sheffield United in December, leaving just Birmingham City left to tick off his list.