This is a story about courage and determination. A young boy who was thrown a curve ball in life but was brave enough to overcome his adversities. Through his family and loved ones he found the motivation to find his inner strengths and rise above any doubts.

Fearsome Fred always took the new ball
He was lightning fast and ever so tall
He'd sprint to the crease with one final jump
He'd aim to hit the top of off stump...

Cricket Our Great Summer Game is the great way of introducing Cricket to children in a rhyming story. Two vibrant pictures and eight lines of rhyme explain the role of all the key players in a game of cricket, including opening batsmen, tailenders, fast bowlers, spinners and even the umpires, using the terminology of the great game.

Finished with a diagram of the pitch highlighting various fielding positions, explanations of how the batsmen can be dismissed and what the key umpire signals mean, this is a fun way of giving children a good understanding of the game.

Introduces readers to the development of women's soccer, as well as the sport's star players from past to present. Colorful spreads, fascinating sidebars, and athlete bios make this a thrilling read for young sports fans.

FC Barcelona: A Tactical Analysis - Attacking A Team from Another Planet A Tactical Blue-Print of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona Team This book is an exclusive and groundbreaking study of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team. This information and analysis of one of the most successful club sides in history has been in high demand and it is finally here The attacking play of Barcelona is admired by every coach, player and fan in the world. Each player movement and passing combination is broken down in detail for every coach to apply these tactics to their own team. Here is the chance to learn to play the 'Bara way.' We now have a full analysis of Barcelona's tactics which have been so important to their success. The book shows Barca's 4-3-3 system of play, each player's responsibilities, positioning and movement within every possible phase of play. Terzis Athanasios is a Tactical Professor of Football and has compiled an extensive assessment of Barcelona's attacking play after over 1000 hours of studying all the games from the 2010-11 season. Guardiola's team has won 3 La Liga championships, 2 UEFA Champions Leagues, 4 Spanish Cups, 2 Super Cups, and 2 FIFA World Club World Cups. The book starts with the characteristics of the players and the philosophy of Barcelona and builds into a comprehensive overview of the offensive tactics employed with clear diagrams and detailed descriptions. Included: - Attacking against opposition pressing in the 1st stage - Attacking in the 2nd and 3rd stage on the right and left hand side - Maintaining possession - Awareness and decision making - Retaining balance - Transition Play - Build-up and combination play - Movement of runs and creating space - Plus a lot more - SEE FULL BOOK CONTENTS BELOW This gives football coaches an unbelievable chance to learn how Barcelona play and employ their tactics to maintain possession, create chances and score goals. Barcelona is by far the best attacking team of the modern era and now you can see how and why this is the case.

Soccer Italian Style coaches Mirko Mazzantini (AFC Fiorentina) and Simone Bombardieri (Empoli FC) are both soccer professional coaches and in this book provide a full football training program from their top Italian Serie 'A' academies. This book contains 12 complete soccer training sessions detailing over 80 practices and progressions as used in the academies of the Italian Serie 'A'. Each session focuses on technical or tactical elements of training and are structured "from simple practices to more complex game situations." The sessions outline a complete program which provides a high level of training. The 12 sessions (over 80 practices) cover the following attributes: Technical training; warm-ups with a ball, ball control, attacking and defending from 1 v 1 - tactical game situations, passing and receiving, Explosive Power, coordination, agility and speed training, football specific conditioning with and without the ball and more. Tactical training; small sided games, phase of plays, functions, pattern play unopposed and opposed, psycho-kinetics training to improve player awareness and quick play, possession play, defensive positioning, counter-attacking, quick transition play, crossing and finishing, build-up play from the back and more. Most of the practices are cleverly structured for "global training" which means working on more than one attribute at the same time. This is valid for all players, with drills and exercises for specific roles (Attackers, midfielders and defenders). There are also numerous variations for many of the practices, meaning that they can be repeated again and again providing great practices for any coach to make hours and hours of top academy level training sessions.

Soccer Italian Style coaches Mirko Mazzantini (AFC Fiorentina) and Simone Bombardieri (Empoli FC) are both professional football coaches and in this book provide a full soccer training program from their top Italian Serie 'A' academies. This book contains 12 complete soccer training sessions detailing over 80 practices and progressions as used in the academies of the Serie 'A'. Each session focuses on technical or tactical elements of training and are structured "from simple practices to more complex game situations." This outlines a complete program of training across the 12 sessions. The 12 sessions (over 80 practices) cover the following attributes: Technical training; passing and receiving, quick combination play, possession, ball control and dribbling, 1 v 1's, feints and moves to beat, crossing, finishing, shooting and heading, football specific conditioning with and without the ball, coordination, acceleration, speed, and agility training. Tactical training; game situations, tactical small sided games, phase of plays, creating space and improving game intelligence, possession play, attacking combinations, Psycho-Kinetics (Think and Act Quickly), quick transitional play, defensive positioning, set plays, build-up play from the back and more. Most of the practices cleverly structured for "global training" which means working on more than one attribute at the same time. This is valid for all players, with drills and exercises for specific roles (Attackers, midfielders and defenders). There are also numerous variations for many of the practices, meaning that the 12 sessions can be repeated again and again providing great practices for any coach to produce academy level training sessions.

As a teenager, Jadon Sancho walked away from one of the biggest football clubs - and managers - on the planet. The world of football thought he was crazy. But with hard work, natural talent and total self belief, Jadon is now at the top of one of the world's toughest leagues and at the heart of England's national team. This is the incredible story of how a football-mad boy from London trusted his instincts and left his home country to make his dream come true. This biography is one of the titles in Ransom's Tales from the Pitch series. These books offers a fresh take on the familiar football biography format Each of these fast-moving reads focuses on one football superstar, some players who are still to reach the summit of their career, and others who are the already at the top of their game. These are exhilarating reads about players from all walks of life. Many have faced failure, injury and rejection, to ultimately make their dreams come true and have inspirational stories. So meet the footballers behind the iconic tackles and goals, and find out what makes each of these players so special.

Catch the first three Toby Jones adventures again in a convenient omnibus edition. A huge book for cricket fans, Hat trick combines tons of info about the game with three out-of-this-world toby Jones cricketing adventure stories. toby Jones is not your average schoolboy cricketer. He and his friends live for cricket, but toby's ability to travel through time makes him unique. Using a copy of Wisden, the 'bible' for cricket enthusiasts, toby drops in on the great cricket matches of the past, first in India and then in the West Indies. But at the 1930 test at Leeds where Don Bradman bats his legendary 334, toby gets unexpectedly involved in the match. Packed with tips from Brett Lee, one of Australia's fastest-ever bowlers, Hat trick offers hours of top reading ...and the inside edge on Australia's most loved sport. Hat trick includes: toby Jones and the Magic Cricket Almanack toby Jones and the Secret of the Missing Scorecard toby Jones and the Mystery of the time-travel tour

Coaches always thought that N'Golo Kante was too small and too shy to make it in the world of football. But with hard work, natural talent and a true love for the game, N'Golo is now the superstar midfielder who brings victory to every team he's a part of. Discover his journey - from picking up bottles in the streets of Paris to winning trophies on the world stage - proving that no one is ever too small to make it big. This biography is one of the titles in Ransom's Tales from the Pitch series. These books offers a fresh take on the familiar football biography format Each of these fast-moving reads focuses on one football superstar, some players who are still to reach the summit of their career, and others who are the already at the top of their game. These are exhilarating reads about players from all walks of life. Many have faced failure, injury and rejection, to ultimately make their dreams come true and have inspirational stories. So meet the footballers behind the iconic tackles and goals, and find out what makes each of these players so special.

The exciting world of professional soccer comes to life in this compelling sequel to GOAL! The Dream Begins. Young soccer player Santiago Munez has come a long way from the barrios of Los Angeles. He has become one of Newcastle United's most outstanding players. He is so good, in fact, that he is recruited for one of the world's best teams, Real Madrid. So Santiago leaves dreary northern England for the sunny shores of Spain. As part of Real Madrid, he is no longer just a soccer player--he's also a celebrity. He can now afford fast cars, a fancy house, and practically anything else he's ever dreamed of. But these luxuries come with a price: He is constantly swarmed by paparazzi. And while Santiago travels the world with the team, his fiancee, Roz, is left behind most of the time, uneasy about his fast-paced new lifestyle. Santiago struggles to keep his balance, but when someone from his past unexpectedly resurfaces in Madrid, his charmed life begins to crumble. Will Santiago be able to keep playing great soccer while dealing with the pressures--and temptations--of fame?

Bucky Pinter wants his team to give Coach Bradley a present on the day of the Soccer 'Cats last game. Unfortunately, what the kids want to buy is expensive. Bucky comes up with a way for them to earn the money they need, but will one disgruntled teammate ruin it all and spoil the surprise? Illustrations.

Eric is an ordinary boy who loves football, and hates tests. Unluckily, a big test is coming up! Then his Auntie Rose sends him a very strange present from her travels in South America: an ugly, stinky, stripy jumper with magical powers. It can turn the wearer into a genius, so long as it is never washed. Eric finds the jumper really does have a miraculous effect on his brain power - but can there be too much of a good thing?

Presents information about the history, positions, and rules of soccer and tips on basic playing techniques and strategies.

Rygbi Rhempus is full of entertaining and humorous facts about rugby; providing a glimpse at its rules and (most important of all) conveying the spirit and passion of this wonderful game. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru

With his creativity, acrobatic talent and sheer speed, Joao Felix can make top-level football look effortless. But Joao's journey to the top has not been easy. As a skinny kid he'd already given up on football once, before harnessing his inner strength and determination to win both the Portuguese and Spanish leagues. Join "the heir to Ronaldo" on his mission to become one of the greatest players in the game. This biography is one of the titles in Ransom's Tales from the Pitch series. These books offers a fresh take on the familiar football biography format Each of these fast-moving reads focuses on one football superstar, some players who are still to reach the summit of their career, and others who are the already at the top of their game. These are exhilarating reads about players from all walks of life. Many have faced failure, injury and rejection, to ultimately make their dreams come true and have inspirational stories. So meet the footballers behind the iconic tackles and goals, and find out what makes each of these players so special.

Introduces readers to the sport of soccer. Simple text and colorful spreads make this book a perfect starting point for early readers.

It didn't always look as though Raheem Sterling would make it as a world-class player. From a difficult start in life to a tough time in the spotlight, Raheem has always had to think on his feet. This is the incredible story of how a boy who grew up in the shadow of Wembley Stadium used his grit and passion to steer himself to the very top. This fictionalised biography is one of the new titles in Ransom's Tales from the Pitch series. Each book focuses on one up-and-coming football superstar, often players who are still to reach the summit of their career. The players are from all walks of life and have faced failure, injury and rejection, making these moving and inspirational stories. The books are brimming with football banter that will have the knowing fans smiling. And each players story is littered with football tricks and tips, so readers can learn the arts of the glorious game. Tales of the Pitch are easy to read and very fast-paced reads. At only 120 pages long, printed on cream paper with a dyslexia-friendly font, these are ideal books for reluctant and dyslexic readers. It didn't always look as though Raheem Sterling would make it as a world-class player. From a difficult start in life to a tough time in the spotlight, Raheem has always had to think on his feet. This is the incredible story of how a boy who grew up in the shadow of Wembley Stadium used his grit and passion to steer himself to the very top.

At the age of ten, Serge Gnabry was wanted by some of the biggest football clubs in the world. His route to superstardom looked clear. But after struggling to break into first teams, potentially career-ending injuries and an infamously disastrous loan spell, Serge had to fight to become Bayern Munich's deadliest weapon and Germany's brightest light. Follow him on his extraordinary journey to the top.Sometimes, when that journey isn't smooth, the result only makes it all the more worthwhile. This biography is one of the titles in Ransom's Tales from the Pitch series. These books offers a fresh take on the familiar football biography format Each of these fast-moving reads focuses on one football superstar, some players who are still to reach the summit of their career, and others who are the already at the top of their game. These are exhilarating reads about players from all walks of life. Many have faced failure, injury and rejection, to ultimately make their dreams come true and have inspirational stories. So meet the footballers behind the iconic tackles and goals, and find out what makes each of these players so special.