Football fan shoots record number of penalties after wearing out garden grass as a kid

Growing up, Sam Groeschel (USA) enjoyed playing American football. During the off-season, he tried his hand (or foot) at soccer, and by the age of nine, this was where his love for football began.

Now 25, Sam’s years of playing the beautiful game have earned him a Guinness World Records title. On 1 March 2025, he set the record for the most football (soccer) penalties taken in one hour (individual), taking 773 penalty kicks.

Sam played competitively for Energy FC when he was younger and now plays Sunday league football for his team BlackHawks as a striker.

Having grown up reading the Guinness World Records books, Sam always dreamed of earning a title of his own. 

He said: “One day I finally made an account and started looking for records to attempt. Whenever I saw the title for most football (soccer) penalties taken in one hour, I knew that record was mine! 

“In high school, I was the main penalty taker. I would practise taking penalties for hours in my yard. I did this so often that I tore up all the grass by my goal.”

So, how did this title become a reality?

Sam knew he needed a strategy to make the most of every second.

He said: “My strategy was to take as many as I could as fast as I could. Sometimes the penalties that I scored took the longest to reset for the next kick.

“Many I missed on purpose, and many I did score on purpose because I wanted that credibility of also scoring them.”

Read about more football records in our Sports and Fitness section.

When attempting the title, Sam had a crowd of over 30 people to cheer him on and encourage him to keep going. 

He said: “I want to give a special shoutout to coach Jake Himphill for providing the field, equipment, and for screaming encouragement at me whenever I needed the push during the most difficult moments of the hour.”

Sam also drew inspiration from the previous record holder, professional Uxbridge player Marvin Sordell, who set the record in October 2021 with a total of 577 penalty kicks taken within the hour. Sordell attempted the record as an ambassador for Beder, a mental health and suicide prevention charity.

Reflecting on the previous record holder, Sam said: “I give all my respect to Marvin Sordell, who had the original record. Something he said was that the first 5-10 minutes were the hardest part, and I totally agree. 

“Marvin, maybe I can get your autograph?”