The 1870 Education Act that opened up elementary education for all children contained no provision for outdoor games. This book explains how teachers, through the elementary school football association, introduced boys to organised football as an out-of-school activity. The influence and significance of this work, insofar as it relates to the elementary school curriculum and the growth of professional and amateur football are explored in detail, including:
* How ideological commitments and contemporary concerns for the physical welfare of children in cities may have led teachers to promote schoolboy football when it was not permitted during school hours.
* The extent to which out of school organised football may have led to outdoor games being accepted as part of the school curriculum
* How elementary school football in London in the late nineteenth century influenced the development of the amateur game
This is a fascinating account of the origins of schoolboy football and the factors that have influenced its development and the consequences and benefits that have followed not only for school football but for sport in schools and communities as a whole.

The 1930s saw the birth of the football idol - prototype for today's powerful media sport stars.
The players of the 1930s were the first generation of professionals, yet until recently the life and careers of footballers of this generation has been little studied.
In 1930s Britain, football became increasingly commercialized, and the rise and development of both local and national media enabled players to become widely recognized outside of their immediate local context for the first time.
Tracing the origins, playing careers and 'afterlives' of several First Division players of the era, Graham Kelly's revealing history explores the reality of living in Britain between the wars and draws interesting comparisons with lives of the modern football hero today.

The 1870 Education Act that opened up elementary education for all children contained no provision for outdoor games. This book explains how teachers, through the elementary school football association, introduced boys to organised football as an out-of-school activity. The influence and significance of this work, insofar as it relates to the elementary school curriculum and the growth of professional and amateur football are explored in detail, including:
* How ideological commitments and contemporary concerns for the physical welfare of children in cities may have led teachers to promote schoolboy football when it was not permitted during school hours.
* The extent to which out of school organised football may have led to outdoor games being accepted as part of the school curriculum
* How elementary school football in London in the late nineteenth century influenced the development of the amateur game
This is a fascinating account of the origins of schoolboy football and the factors that have influenced its development and the consequences and benefits that have followed not only for school football but for sport in schools and communities as a whole.

Football in the New Media Age analyzes the impact of media change on the football industry, drawing on extensive interviews with key people in the media and football industry. It examines the finances of the game; the rising importance of rights and rights management in the industry; and attempts by clubs to develop their own media capacity. At the core of the book is an examination of the battle for control of the game as media, business and fans all seek to redefine the sport in the twenty-first century. Football is rarely out of the headlines, with stories about star players misbehaving, clubs facing financial meltdown, or TV companies battling over broadcast rights dominating much of the mainstream news and current affairs agenda.The impact of the vast amounts of money paid to elite footballers, and the inability of young men to cope with this when combined with their media-fuelled celebrity status, have frequently made headlines. At the core of this process is the battle to control a game that has exploited its position as a key 'content provider' for new media over the last decade, and this book provides the examiniation and analysis to study this problem.

Football in the new media age can often appear ubiquitous, dominating much of the mainstream news and current affairs agenda. The impact of the vast amounts of money paid to elite footballers and the inability of young men to cope with this when combined with their media fuelled celebrity status have frequently made headlines. However at the core of this process is the battle to control a game which has exploited its position as a key 'content provider' for new media developments over the last decade. Based on extensive interviews with key players in the media and football industry, Football in the New Media Age analyses the impact of media change on the football industry. and rights management in the industry and attempts by clubs themselves to develop their own media capacity. It also explores the key role played by football supporters. At the core of the book is an examination of the battle for control of the game as media, business and fans all seek to redefine the sport in the 21st century. The study of sport is a growing field within media and cultural studies, and this lively and up to date book will prove a popular resource for students and researchers alike.

This book explores various aspects of intranational elite football in Africa, drawing on the expertise of notable scholars from across the world. Africa's Elite Football focuses on an area largely ignored by current scholarship on African football, where interest has focused on international migration. In exploring the intranational, the book is written in two parts. The first is a general focus on the continent, and the second is an examination of country cases. The general focus of the book is on the nature of elite tier leagues, the relationship between politics and football, the media, youth academies, intranational migration and fans. Notably, chapters on topics such as intranational migration present groundbreaking scholarship in this area. Currently, football discourses on migration focus on international migration of footballers, yet the majority of migration in African football is intranational. Thus, by addressing the intranational, this book brings attention to an area that is underrepresented in the current academic discourse. The second part of the book, which focuses on country cases, covers Botswana, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The topics explored in those cases include religiosity, health, women's football, media and management. The coverage of health-related issues is particularly important given that several books on African football rarely broach such a topic. With its unique approach to African football, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of sports history, African studies, politics in sports and African sports.

ENGLAND'S WORST FOOTBALLERS looks at all 92 Premiership and Nationwide clubs in England and selects the worst player each club has ever had. For example, the Southampton player Ali Dia, who the then manager Graeme Souness had bought on seeing only a video recording, who was so bad that after 10 minutes he was taken off, never to appear again. A match report about first division Reading described a player who was so bad that he was terrified of the ball when it was passed to him. Arsenal's choice of the worst ever player could be John Jensen who after all was a successful Danish international who had scored a spectacular goal in the European Nations Final of 1992 against Germany. However, Jensen scored one goal in 149 matches and indirectly brought about the downfall of a great manager, George Graham, because of transfer irregularities. Or at Southend there is the case of ex-Spurs player Dean Austin, who insisted on taking penalties and kept missing them. It is as much about expectations being utterly unfulfilled rather than about some mediocre player who gets lucky and is picked for one game. Every fan has a view about who is the worst player they have ever seen represent their clu

Manchester United is a football club like no other. The most popular sports club in history, it has an annual turnover of over pound]130 million and a stock market value that has topped pound]1 billion. Its triumph as an international commercial venture matches its success on the pitch in the UK's Premier League and in stadiums throughout Europe. At this time in late capitalism when the boundaries between cultural and commercial concerns have become increasingly invisible, Manchester United, the football club, provides us with a fascinating study in the evolution of sporting, social, cultural and economic change. In this, the first book to offer a rigorous, theoretically grounded treatment of the Manchester United phenomenon, leading academics from diverse backgrounds have written chapters, each interrogating a particular aspect of our central theme, Manchester United FC. The result is a unique contribution to our understanding of Manchester United in particular, and, perhaps more significantly, of contemporary sporting and popular culture in general.

Rangers in the 1980s chronicles the fortunes of the club during one of the most turbulent, transitional decades in their history. The story is told by the players of the era, who recount their routes to Ibrox, memories of their time with the club, and retrospective opinions on both Rangers FC and the changing game. After securing the domestic Treble in season 1977/78 and narrowly missing out on winning all three trophies again in 1978/79, Rangers entered a period of several seasons in the wilderness. Under the guidance of John Greig, a successful but ageing team was broken up and Ibrox Stadium was redeveloped. Jock Wallace tried to mastermind a return to the club's former glories. Then the arrival of the visionary David Holmes kick-started a revolution. Former players such as Richard Gough, Ally Dawson, Bobby Russell, Hugh Burns and Derek Johnstone share their enthralling inside stories of life at Rangers, recalling the rollercoaster ride experienced as the club strove to re-establish itself at the pinnacle of the Scottish game.

As a football-mad young boy growing up in rural Shropshire, within sight of the Welsh border, Dave Edwards dreamt of playing the game professionally and perhaps, one day, of wearing the red shirt of his father's homeland - Wales. Living My Dream is the frank and fascinating story of just what it took for Edwards to achieve his life's ambition, and describes how his dedication and commitment to the game he loves has enabled him to enjoy a successful 16-year career with over 400 club appearances for Shrewsbury, Luton, Wolves and Reading, spanning the top five English divisions from the Conference to the Premier League. Woven into the story of his club career, Living My Dream is also a behind-the-scenes account of Dave's brave recovery, after a serious injury in January 2016, to make the starting line-up in Wales' opening game at that summer's European Championships, and his magical month inside the Welsh camp when the team exceeded all expectations to reach the semi-finals. The first member of the Welsh squad to tell the inside story of life at the Euros, Edwards reveals how the players thrived within the camp's 'bubble' and forged an unbreakable team spirit, how Chris Coleman managed his squad with meticulous planning and inspirational leadership, and how the Together Stronger ethos was spurred on by the passion and pride of an entire nation.

In recent years, football's status as "the world's sport" has shown little sign of waning. From increasing participation at grassroots levels and to the highly lucrative media rights deals secured by the top elite clubs, the game appears to be thriving as it continues to excite and enthral billions of people around the globe. Nevertheless, there are a number of challenges and opportunities facing the football industry today that warrant further examination. This book brings together leading international researchers to survey the current state of the global football industry, exploring contemporary themes and issues in the marketing of football around the world. With contributions from Europe, Asia and the Americas, it discusses key topics such as football club management, the economics of the football industry, match-fixing, social media, fan experiences, the globalized marketplace, and the growing popularity of the women's game. Offering insights for researchers, managers, and marketers who are looking to stay ahead of the game, The Global Football Industry: Marketing Perspectives is essential reading for anyone with an interest in international sport business.

Soccer has long been known as 'the beautiful game'. This multi-disciplinary volume explores soccer, soccer culture, and the representation of soccer in art, film, and literature, using the critical tools of aesthetics, poetics, and rhetoric. Including international contributions from scholars of philosophy, literary and cultural studies, linguistics, art history, and the creative arts, this book begins by investigating the relationship between beauty and soccer and asks what criteria should be used to judge the sport's aesthetic value. Covering topics as diverse as humor, national identity, style, celebrity, and social media, its chapters examine the nature of fandom, the role of language, and the significance of soccer in contemporary popular culture. It also discusses what one might call the 'stylistics' of soccer, analyzing how players, fans, and commentators communicate on and off the pitch, in the press, on social media, and in wider public discourse. The Aesthetics, Poetics, and Rhetoric of Soccer makes for fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in sport, culture, literature, philosophy, linguistics, and society.

Women's soccer has come a long way. The first organized games on record -- which took place three hundred years ago in the Scottish Highlands -- were exhibition matches, where single women played against married women while available men looked on, seeking a potential mate. Today, champions like Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Brazil's Marta and China's Sun Wen, have inspired girls around the world to pick up the beautiful game for love of the sport. Inevitably, given the hardships and discrimination they face, women who play soccer professionally are so much more than elite athletes. They are survivors, campaigners, political advocates, feminists, LGBTQ activists, working moms, staunch opponents of racial discrimination and inspirational role models for many. Based on original interviews with over 50 current and former players and coaches, this book celebrates these remarkable women and their achievements against all odds.

Kate O'Reilly loves a stroll down memory lane.Nowadays she's a mother to Declan and Phoebe, has the semi-detached in suburbia and the dependable husband, Seamus - but when faced with a never-ending pile of laundry and new chin hairs sprouting overnight, no wonder she daydreams about the past. A time when the music was better (Girl Power forever!), her social circle was wider, Cool Britannia reigned supreme and only a penalty shootout stood between England reaching the finals of Euro '96. So, when a freak electrical storm takes her back in time to 1996, Kate's elated - this is her chance to discover what might have happened if she'd only done things a little bit differently in the Nineties. But as she relives her youth again, will Kate realise some things really are best left in the past? And will she ever be able to get back to the family she misses so much? Even if none of them know how to load the sodding dishwasher... A laugh-out-loud, relatable read for anyone who wishes they could take a holiday from adulting... fans of Why Mummy Drinks and Jane Fallon will love this! Previously published as A Mother Dimension, this has been extensively edited and rewritten. Readers are loving The Glory Years: 'A quick, easy and fun read that I adored...I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and it made me laugh.' Reader Review Wow!...It completely exceeded all my expectations... a lot of twists and turns throughout the book which keeps you captivated' Reader Review 'I think pretty much everyone can relate to this book... I laughed out loud several times!' Reader Review 'This book had me turning pages without even realizing. It was so good!' Reader Review 'Kate was such a fun relatable character...Very nostalgic and cute! I remember so much of the blasts from the past which was fun!' Reader Review 'Adorable, heartwarming and inspiring.' Reader Review 'It's such a jovial, humorous and light-hearted book... Overall a fantastic read.' Reader Review Praise for Mink Elliott: 'Nothing short of a delight... I would recommend this book if you are looking for a lighthearted and feel good read' Reader Review 'So fun to read. It reminded me of Bridget Jones' Diary (for 50 year olds!)...Highly recommend!' Reader Review 'This book had me laughing because it is so relatable and down to earth...Within the first few pages, I found myself chuckling...Highly recommend this read.' Reader Review 'Lighthearted and full of comedy...the story was relatable and enjoyable.' Reader Review 'A really easy, feel good read which is particularly relatable for those of us of a certain age!!!' Reader Review 'A brilliant, enjoyable and entertaining book that made me smile and laugh... I loved the humour and the likeable cast of characters. Highly recommended.' Reader Review 'This book was hilarious...a great way to escape for a few hours.' Reader Review

Glory, Glory Lane is the life-affirming history - including a momentous last season - of a world-famous football stadium, home to Tottenham Hotspur for 118 years. A Victorian structure turned wraparound 21st-century all-seater, it became a theatre of dreams for supporters all attracted by teams which played the 'Spurs way' to achieve glory. The Lane gave a stage to a conveyor belt of legends from Cameron to Alli via Nicholson, Blanchflower, Greaves, Hoddle and Klinsmann. It provided unforgettable memories in unforgettable atmospheres - heart-lifting, heart-breaking, nerve-racking. Its story veers from founders obsessed by Harry Hotspur to Harry Kane via Harry Redknapp; through matches, personalities, ground developments and threatened closure, all with first-hand accounts. It's hard to imagine how a new GBP750m stadium can ever replace the edifice which shut its gates for the last time after Spurs played Manchester United in May 2017, having created a daunting legacy.

'In many ways Jimmy Hill was football. He was a true great of the game.' - Greg Dyke, Chairman of the Football Association Jimmy Hill died on 19th December 2015 but very much remains a household name. Renowned for his outspoken views, recognised the world over by his famous profile, only he saw football from every side: as player, coach, manager, chairman, television executive and broadcaster. A versatile player with Brentford and Fulham in the fifties, he was a qualified coach by the age of 24. In the sixties his innovative management technique took Coventry from the bottom of the Third to the First Division, where they stayed for 32 years. For over twenty years, at different times, he was a director and chairman of Coventry, Charlton and Fulham. As chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association he took on the authorities and successfully fought for freedom of contract and the abolition of the maximum wage. But it is as a TV presenter that Jimmy became best known. After five years as Head of Sport at LWT, he moved to the BBC to become a national institution in the seventies and eighties on Match of the Day. Tragically Jimmy Hill succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease in his last few years, A moving epilogue has been included which reflects on Jimmy's remarkable life. Jimmy tells the story of his rise from humble beginnings to distinction both on and off the field with modesty and humour.

The number of kids who love to play soccer has exploded in the last decade. Unfortunately, so has the number of sports injuries. Why? More games, more competitions, and early specialization have all contributed, but so have our methods of training them. High pressure to perform along with an increased volume and intensity of training has combined to hamper young soccer athletes. They favor one side, overuse one muscle group, and do it over and over again. This is a recipe for injury.

In Fit 2 Finish, Dr. LeBolt takes a sport scientist's eye to the training of our soccer-loving kids. She distills the gems of two decades of coaching and injury prevention training to display the methods that have worked to make her athletes safer, healthier and more effective, all while never losing the fun. Coaches at all levels can apply the Fit2Finish principles to every facet of their coaching: warm up, skills and drills, game play, post game routines, recovery, rest and preparing for the next game. Fit 2 Finish is the training manual and the game plan for the coach who's first objective is to keep kids healthy and in the game.

Yes, we must address the 'too much, too early' in today's youth sports, but while we go about changing the culture, the kids who are currently in it need saving. Today's coaches can start now by taking the Fit2Finish method straight to their practice field. If strong, balanced, healthy, high-performing athletes are what we're after, then Fit 2 Finish will get us there.

The result of several years of original research, the book traces the continuities in women's participation since the beginnings of the game, and highlights the significant moments that have influenced current practice. The text provides:
· insight into the communities and individual experiences of players, fans, investors, administrators and coaches
· examination of the attitudes and role of national and international associations
· analysis of the development of the professional game
· comparisons with women's football in mainland Europe, the USA and Africa.

A Game for Rough Girls is the first text to properly theorise the development of the game. Examining recreational and elite levels, the author provides a thorough critique, placing women's experience in the context of broader cultural and sports studies debates on social change, gender, power and global economics.

The result of several years of original research, the book traces the continuities in women's participation since the beginnings of the game, and highlights the significant moments that have influenced current practice. The text provides:
· insight into the communities and individual experiences of players, fans, investors, administrators and coaches
· examination of the attitudes and role of national and international associations
· analysis of the development of the professional game
· comparisons with women's football in mainland Europe, the USA and Africa.

A Game for Rough Girls is the first text to properly theorise the development of the game. Examining recreational and elite levels, the author provides a thorough critique, placing women's experience in the context of broader cultural and sports studies debates on social change, gender, power and global economics.

Iceland is a tiny Nordic nation with a population of just 330,000 and no professional sports leagues, and yet its soccer, basketball and handball teams have all qualified for major international tournaments in recent years. This fascinating study argues that team sport success is culturally produced and that in order to understand collective achievement we have to consider the socio-cultural context. Based on unparalleled access to key personnel, including top coaches, athletes and administrators, the book explores Icelandic cultural capital as a factor in sporting success, from traditions of workmanship, competitive play and teamwork to international labour migration and knowledge transfer. The first book to focus specifically on the socio-cultural aspects of a small nation's international sporting success, this is an original and illuminating contribution to the study of the sociology of sport. Sport in Iceland: How small nations achieve international success is fascinating reading for team sport enthusiasts, coaches, managers and organisers, as well as for any student or scholar with an interest in the sociology of sport, strategic sports development, sports policy or sports administration.

This book brings together a selection of papers originally presented and discussed at the fourth international restorative justice conference, held at the University of TA1/4bingen. The contributors include many of the leading authorities in the field of restorative justice, and they provide a comprehensive review of the theoretical foundations underlying this rapidly expanding movement. Restorative Justice: Theoretical foundations addresses a wide range of fundamental questions about restorative justice,considering amongst other things ways in which conceptual pitfalls can be avoided, and how traditional models of peacemaking and healing developed in traditional societies can be integrated into the justice systems of late modern societies. Overall it provides an authoritative overview of contemporary thinking about restorative justice and will be essential reading for anybody concerned with the future direction of criminal justice and criminal justice systems. leading world authorities address the theoretical foundations of restorative justicea rapidly expanding area within criminal justiceincludes chapters on restorative justice as applied to corporate crime, family violence and cases of extreme violence

Across the history of football, a select group of teams have achieved iconic status. Sometimes it's through sheer success. For others, their stature is built by star performers. On occasions, it's because a team has gifted a new way of playing to the world. Most rarely it's because of all three. The Ajax teams that conquered Europe with their enthralling 'totaalvoetbal' are one of those rare cases. Those Dutch artists used the pitch as their canvas, the skills of the players provided a palette of gloriously bright colours and their totaalvoetbal inspired the brushstrokes that delivered masterpieces of football creativity. The Dutch Masters is the entrancing tale of how that iconic white shirt with a broad red band down its centre not only became synonymous with the beautiful game of totaalvoetbal, but also symbolised the success of the club that created a new paradigm of play. It's the story of how Ajax came to dominate the European game as the epitome of footballing perfection.

The intention of the book is to highlight the development of a type of football organisation that falls outside of the well documented elite professional game, the most recognizable face of the sport. Specifically, the focus here will fall upon community based football clubs which have grown out of the grassroots game. Well known examples of these clubs in Britain are the Bristol organisation, Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls, and the Leeds based Republica Internationale - both of these clubs have forged links with similarly motivated organisations in other countries who regularly come together in tournaments to express solidarity. Collectively, these clubs have sometimes been referred to as forming a 'DIY culture' in football. Their defining characteristics being variously described as anti-commercial, democratically constituted, advocating social responsibility and inclusiveness, and holding an outlook of solidarity that, in some cases, involves political education. This book was originally published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

Human beings are the only creatures known to engage in sport. We are sporting animals, and our favourite pastime of football is the biggest sport spectacle on earth. The Philosophy of Football presents the first sustained, in-depth philosophical investigation of the phenomenon of football. In explaining the complex nature of football, the book draws on literature in sociology, history, psychology and beyond, offering real-life examples of footballing actions alongside illuminating thought experiments. The book is organized around four main themes considering the character, nature, analysis and aesthetics of football. It discusses football as an extra-ordinary, unnecessary, rule-based, competitive, skill-based physical activity, articulated as a social (as opposed to natural) kind that is fictional in character, and where fairness or fair play - contrary to much sport ethical discussion - is not centre stage. Football, it is argued, is a constructive- destructive contact sport and, in comparison to other sports, is lower scoring and more affected by chance. The latter presents to its spectators a more unpredictable game and a darker, more complex and denser drama to enjoy. The Philosophy of Football deepens our understanding of the familiar features of the game, offering novel interpretations on what football is, how and why we play it, and what the game offers its followers that makes us so eagerly await match day. This is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the world's most popular game or in the philosophical or social study of sport.

This reference work aims to provide sports enthusiasts, journalists, librarians, students and scholars with an authorative source of information on a comprehensive range of subjects covering the history and organization of football in Britain. Over 200 entries focus on key organisations or individuals, famous clubs, major competitions, events, venues and incidents, institutions and organisations as well as key issues such as gender, racism, commercialization, professionalism and drugs, alcohol and football. Additionally entries on football as reflected in drama, film, literature, paintings and other arts are also included. The aim has been to provide a reasonably comprehensive overview of British football, past and present. The Encyclopedia of British Football has been written by a team of over 50 experts in the field of sport from administrators and managers through fans, armchair enthusiasts, journalists and PE teachers to academic researchers and sports scientists.