This book presents an ethnographic study of contemporary ticket touts in the UK. Despite the recent interest in the topic of black-market ticket sales, media coverage and parliamentary interventions over the last ten years have revealed a widespread lack of knowledge with regards to the phenomenon of touting and the players involved in the practice. The Rise and Rise of Illegal Ticket Touting sheds light on the world of touting and delivers an authentic picture of the individuals involved, of their methods, values, and motivations for performing ticket touting as an organised, entrepreneurial deviant activity. The touts' attitudes, perceptions, adaptations to - or outright dismissal of - the changing legal landscape are focal points of the study. Of equal importance are the touts' varied methods of buying and selling tickets, the hierarchical structures and strict ethos of their criminal organisations, and their specific modi operandi for evading detection and arrest both on the streets and online. This book illuminates why historic and renewed attempts to challenge ticket touting have been unsuccessful, focusing on inadequate legislation, a lack of enforcement, and the widespread corruption and exploitable loopholes that exist within the official, primary ticket market. An accessible and compelling read, The Rise and Rise of Illegal Ticket Touting will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, social policy, policing and all those with an interest in live music and sport and the hidden practices that lurk beneath the surface.

Sir Alex Ferguson said that his brief as Manchester United manager was to "knock Liverpool off their f*****g perch". After over 2,000 games and 25 seasons, this year he finally succeeded. Following an endless supply of trophies, none meant more to United's global legion of fans than their 19th league title - simply because it finally put Liverpool in their place. It has taken Sir Alex 25 years to establish United as the leader of the championship pack. When Alan Hansen captained Liverpool to their most recent championship in 1990, the tally read 18-7 in Liverpool's favour and few would have given the Scot a prayer of capturing one championship, never mind 12. In "19", award-winning journalist Harry Harris looks back at all the title winning seasons and analyses each one from the viewpoint of a player who distinguished himself in that title year, building up to the record title and an in-depth analysis of the 2010-11 season and how United finally surpassed Liverpool. The book looks at the record through the eyes of those who took part in each of them, or who observed them from close quarters. "19" features exclusive interviews with Arthur Albiston, Alan Brazil, Steve Bruce, Garth Crooks, Gary Pallister, Paul Parker, Lee Sharpe, Gordon Taylor, Dave Whelan, Ray Wilkins.

An anecdote-driven narrative of the classic footballer's DOs and DO NOTs from the ever-popular Arsenal legend and football pundit Paul Merson, aka The Merse .

When it comes to advice on the pitfalls of life as a professional footballer, Paul Merson can pretty much write the manual. In fact, that's exactly what he's done in this hilarious new book which manages to be simultaneously poignant and gloriously funny.

Merson was a prodigiously talented footballer in the 80s and 90s, gracing the upper echelons of the game - and the tabloid front pages - with his breathtakingly skills and larger-than-life off-field persona.

His much-publicised battles with gambling, drug and alcohol addiction are behind him now, and football fans continue to be drawn to his sharp footballing brain and playful antics on SkySports cult results show Soccer Saturday.

The book delights and entertains with a treasure chest of terrific anecdotes from a man who has never lost his love of football and his inimitable joie de vivre through a 25-year association with the Beautiful Game.

The DO NOTs include: DO NOT adopt 'Champagne' Charlie Nicholas as your mentorDO NOT share a house with GazzaDO NOT regularly place 30,000 bets at the bookie'sDO NOT get so drunk that you can't remember the 90 minutes of football you just played inDO NOT manage Walsall (at any cost)

How Not to be a Professional Footballer is a hugely entertaining, moving and laugh-out-loud funny story."

Mohamed Salah: The Ultimate Fan Book takes you into the Egyptian football superstar's world like no other book. Learn about his amazing journey from growing up in a suburb of Cairo, to Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina, AS Roma and Liverpool, where he has become a superstar of the Premier League. Written in a lively style and filled with fun features, thrilling action photographs and enlightening quotes, Mohamed Salah: The Ultimate Fan Book celebrates his greatest moments and most famous goals, including the goals which have made him one of the world's most watchable superstars.

This book offers an original Marxist critique of the European football business. It argues that the Marxist account of the difference between profits and surplus value is crucial to an understanding of the fluid and contradictory nature of the commodification of football. Section one analyses the nature of modern professional football and section two highlights attempts, via government agency and football clubs, to corral fans into ever greater identification with business logic aimed at breaking traditional social relations. Section three draws on a number of cases studies across Europe, to analyse how some fans are attempting to mount a counter ideological response to the assault of neo-liberalism on the game.

In the early 1970s in Scotland, women's football existed in the margins. Unrecognised by the Scottish Football Association, banned from playing in stadiums and with no recognised national team. Arrival tells the fascinating, inspiring and uplifting story of how Scotland's women footballers fought for their right to play, battling hostility, prejudice and intolerance in order to create a national side that the country could be proud of. Drawing on illuminating interviews with Scotland players and managers past and present, including Anna Signeul and Shelley Kerr, it tells the inside story of the remarkable journey that the Scotland women's national team made from formation to eventual qualification for the European Championship and World Cup. It reveals the passion, commitment and determination that enabled Scotland to build a squad capable of competing with the best in the world and inspiring a generation. Arrival is the true story of a team battling against the odds to take their place on the world stage.

This is the story of the new King of the Kop. When Mohamed Salah signed for Liverpool from Rome in 2017, his record fee was initially greeted with some skepticism. While he'd been singled out as a future star back in Egypt, and performed well at the Italian club, no one could have predicted the impact he was to have at Anfield. Scoring an unprecedented thirty-two goals in thirty-six games for the club, he became the sensation of the Premier League. Not only that, but he has also won over fans of all stripes with his humility and grace off the pitch, as well as his versatility and flair on it. Few players have inspired such fervent admiration so quickly, with chants of his name still reverberating around Anfield, and after just a short time, he has already become a Liverpool legend. In this insightful biography, bestselling sports writer Frank Worrall examines Salah's electrifying journey to Liverpool, from the highs and lows that brought him there to the Champions League glory that crowned the 2018/19 season.

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.

'The perfect Christmas gift' - Alan Brazil A brilliantly entertaining and hilarious quiz book from the country's favourite sports broadcaster Know your bull calf from your bullseye? Your Hawksbee from your Hawk-Eye? Your Saints from your Seagulls? Then join the talkSPORT team as they test you and your mates or family on some of the greatest sporting moments of the past 50-odd years. With over 2,500 questions - split into family-friendly Easy, Medium and Hard sections for each sport - this awesome quiz book is the ultimate test of sporting knowledge and the perfect gift for anyone who loves the ups, downs and hilarity of the world of sport. Don't be a numpty - pick up your copy of The talkSPORT Quiz Book ... NOW

If you have a player in your life but don't understand the game at all, then this is the book for you. Aimed at friends and family who go along to watch but have no real idea what is going on.This is the first in a series of guides for bemused supporters. After reading this book, you will know all about free kicks (direct and indirect), the difference between a goal kick and a corner kick and of course you will stun everyone with your knowledge of the infamous offside law and the way to beat the offside trap. You may even surprise family footballers by knowing more than them about the history of the game.We'll guide you on choosing kit, keeping it clean and ensuring your favourite player (whatever their relationship is to you) turns up to play looking well prepared and feeling part of the team. We've also included the latest support etiquette guidance if you're going along to matches for the first time.This book is for all bemused supporters, male and female, who loyally turn out to cheer in all weathers.

International Research in Science and Soccer II showcases the very latest research into the world's most widely played sport. With contributions from scientists, researchers and practitioners working at every level of the game, from grassroots to elite level, the book covers every key aspect of preparation and performance, including: * performance and match analysis; * training and testing; * physiotherapy and injury prevention; * biomechanics; * youth development; * women's soccer; * sport science and coaching; * sport psychology. Sports scientists, trainers, coaches, physiotherapists, medical doctors, psychologists, educational officers and professionals working in soccer will find this in-depth, comprehensive volume an essential and up-to-date resource. The chapters contained within this volume were first presented at The Fourth World Conference on Science and Soccer, held in Portland, Oregon, in June 2014 under the auspices of the World Commission of Science and Sports.

High jinx and japes from Soccer Saturday's roving reporter extraordinaire, Chris "Kammy" Kamara, whose boyish enthusiasm and often baffling, at-the-ground football reportage has given him cult status and an army of fans.

Over the past decade, football results programme Soccer Saturday has become a television phenomenon, delivering goals and drama via a raft of ex-professional players positioned in TV studios and on precarious gangplanks in rusting stadiums around the country.

At the heart of this success is free-wheeling pundit and roving reporter extraordinaire, Chris "Kammy" Kamara, the former footballer-turned-manager-turned-cult hero who has astounded and dumbfounded a legion of armchair fans with his crackpot catchphrases, hyperactive reporting style and Lionel Richie haircut.

Mr Unbelievable is his rags to riches tale. As a player, Kammy trawled football's outposts with the likes of Bradford City, Stoke City and Portsmouth where he suffered the slings, arrows and hurled bananas of racial abuse. Later, during the autumn of his career, he played in Howard Wilkinson's swashbuckling Leeds team where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Eric Cantona.

On hanging up his boots, he moved into the dugouts at Bradford and Stoke as manager before joining the Sky football revolution as roving reporter on Soccer Saturday and Goal On Sunday's eagle-eyed analyst, amassing a raft of catchphrases along the way.

Mr Unbelievable is a hugely entertaining, moving, shocking and laugh out loud funny story of a genuine cult hero.

An entertaining and effervescent history of the English Premier League told through the words and quotations of its players, managers, their contemporaries and the media. Relive the highs and lows, the drama and fun of 25 years of the Premier League through this exceptional compilation, which brings together the very best quotes, comments and soundbites to tell the story of each incident-packed season. Remember Kevin Keegan's on-air meltdown? Or Paolo Di Canio's shove? How about those jaw-on-the-floor goals like Tony Yeboah's volley or Sergio Aguero's last gasp title-winning goal for Manchester City? And what about some of those teams that set the competition alight - like swash-buckling Newcastle, all-conquering Manchester United and Arsenal's fabled 'Invincibles'? All the Premier League's sensational stories, extraordinary incidents and dazzling moments are told here through the voices, views and reflections of the managers and players involved. 'You Can't Win Anything With Kids' also provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy some of the funniest, most insightful and sometimes perplexing soundbites from the last 25 years, from the endlessly amusing spat between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger to Jurgen Klopp's off-the-wall reflections, Eric Cantona's deeply philosophical musings and, of course, Alan Hansen's profoundly misplaced pronouncements...

In Football and Accelerated Culture, Steve Redhead offers a new and challenging theorisation of global football culture, exploring the relationship between sport and culture in a rapidly shifting world. Incorporating cutting-edge concepts, from accelerated culture and claustropolitanism to non-postmodernity, he reflects on the demise of working class football cultures and the rapid media globalisation of 'the people's game'. Drawing on international empirical research and a unique and ground-breaking study of football hooligan memoirs, the book delves into a wide array of disciplines, examining fascinating topics such as the relationship between music and football; hooligans and ultras; the rise of social media and anti-modern football movements; and ultra-realist criminology. Football and Accelerated Culture offers a new way of thinking about sporting cultures that expands the boundaries of physical cultural studies. As such, it is important reading for anybody with an interest in the culture of sport and leisure, social theory, communication studies, criminology or socio-legal studies.

This special issue addresses the complex reality of English community football organisations, including Football in the Community (FitC) schemes, which have been attending to social agendas, such as social inclusion and health promotion. The positioning of football as a key agent of change for this diverse range of social issues has resulted in an increase in funding support. Despite the increased availability of funding and the (apparent) willingness of football clubs to adopt such an altruistic position within society, there remains limited empirical evidence to substantiate football's ability to deliver results. This book explores the current role of a football and football clubs in supporting and delivering social inclusion and health promotion to its community and seeks to examine the philosophical, political, environmental and practical challenges of this work. The power and subsequent lure of a football club and its brand is an ideal vehicle to entice and capture populations that (normally) ignore or turn away from positive social and/or health behaviours. The foundations of such a belief are examined, outlining key recommendations and considerations for both researchers and practitioners attending to these social and health issues through the vehicle of football. This book was originally published as a special issue of Soccer & Society.

Firmly situating South African teams, players, and associations in the international framework in which they have to compete, South Africa and the Global Game: Football, Apartheid, and Beyond presents an interdisciplinary analysis of how and why South Africa underwent a remarkable transformation from a pariah in world sport to the first African host of a World Cup in 2010. Written by an eminent team of scholars, this special issue and book aims to examine the importance of football in South African society, revealing how the black oppression transformed a colonial game into a force for political, cultural and social liberation. It explores how the hosting of the 2010 World Cup aims to enhance the prestige of the post-apartheid nation, to generate economic growth and stimulate Pan-African pride. Among the themes dealt with are race and racism, class and gender dynamics, social identities, mass media and culture, and globalization. This collection of original and insightful essays will appeal to specialists in African Studies, Cultural Studies, and Sport Studies, as well as to non-specialist readers seeking to inform themselves ahead of the 2010 World Cup. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer and Society.

The World Cup as World History uses football’s premier event to analyze modern sports and world history. William D. Bowman traces the history of a tournament that has become a global phenomenon that generates intense political, economic, and cultural interest and profound discussions about racial, ethnic, and gender identity in the contemporary era. By focusing on the World Cup, the book keeps a tight thematic focus that allows for an integrated discussion of the core issues of globalization, money and finance, sport as spectacle, race and gender, and contemporary politics.

Association football is now the global sport, consumed in various ways by millions of people across the world. Throughout its history, football has been a catalyst as much for social cohesion, unity, excitement and integration as it can be for division, exclusion and discrimination. A Sociology of Football in a Global Context examines the historical, political, economic, social and cultural complexities of the game across Europe, Africa, Asia and North and South America. It analyses the key developments and sociological debates within football through a topic-based approach that concentrates on the history of football and its global diffusion; the role of violence; the global governance of the game by FIFA; race, racism and whiteness; gender and homophobia; the changing nature of fans; the media and football's financial revolution; the transformation of players into global celebrities; and the growth of football leagues across the world. Using a range of examples from all over the world, each chapter highlights the different social and cultural changes football has seen, most notably since the 1990s, when its relationship with the mass media and other transnational networks became more important and financially lucrative.

The World Cup 2018 saw a record 66 goals scored from set-piece situations (42% of the 155 total goals scored), a remarkable and emphatic statement regarding the influence of set-pieces on the modern game. Yet very little, if any, attention is paid to the influence of set-pieces in coaching literature, coaching courses, or symposiums. The Ultimate Book of Soccer Set-Pieces is the most comprehensive examination of set-piece planning on both the attacking and defending sides of the ball. It carefully and thoroughly examines the potential of all manner of restarts in soccer, from throw-ins to corner kicks and free kicks. From simple organizational considerations to complex plays featuring many variations, this book is the tool coaches at every level need to prepare their teams to win the set-piece battle.

'Football is a pleasure that hurts' This unashamedly emotional history of football is a homage to the romance and drama, spectacle and passion of a 'great pagan mass'. Through stories of superstition, heartbreak, tragedy, luck, heroes and villains, those who lived for football and those who died for it, Eduardo Galeano celebrates the glory of a game that - however much the rich and powerful try to control it - still retains its magic. 'The Uruguayan whose writing got right to the heart of football ... readers were never in doubt of the warmth of the blood running through his veins' Guardian 'Galeano can run rings round our glamorous football intelligentsia' When Saturday Comes 'Stands out like Pele on a field of second-stringers' New Yorker

*WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR* Fever Pitch is Nick Hornby's million-copy-selling, award-winnning football classic 'A spanking 7-0 away win of a football book. . . inventive, honest, funny, heroic, charming' Independent For many people watching football is mere entertainment, to some it's more like a ritual; but to others, its highs and lows provide a narrative to life itself. But, for Nick Hornby, his devotion to the game has provided one of few constants in a life where the meaningful things - like growing up, leaving home and forming relationships, both parental and romantic - have rarely been as simple or as uncomplicated as his love for Arsenal. Brimming with wit and honesty, Fever Pitch, catches perfectly what it really means to be a football fan - and in doing so, what it means to be a man. 'Hornby has put his finger on truths that have been unspoken for generations' Irish Times 'Funny, wise and true' Roddy Doyle

A dozen Sunderland legends come together to tell the stories behind their favourite ever games for the club - enabling Black Cats fans of all ages to relive these magic moments through the eyes and emotions of the men who were there, playing their hearts out for the red-and-white stripes...Niall Quinn relives the rollercoaster 1998 League Division Two play-off final which went to 4-4 before Charlton pinched it 7-6 on penalties; Jim Montgomery recounts heroic tales of the landmark 1973 FA Cup Final. Ever the crowd pleaser, Gary Rowell waxes lyrical about a 4-1 defeat of Newcastle at St James' Park, while the club's all-time record scorer Bobby Gurney remembers a ten-goal thriller back in 1935! Sunderland greats Marco Gabbiadini, Len Ashurst and Charlie Hurley also turn in characteristic star performances, winding back the clock to relive treasured memories of the Match of Their Lives for the Black Cats.

Wags, Carlos Tevez, foreign owners, Sky pundits, the 39th game, Mario Balotelli's bathroom ...so much of the acres of news coverage of football these days has so little to do with what actually goes on on the pitch. Jonathan Wilson has made a name for himself focusing on tactics (with the award-winning Inverting the Pyramid) and how events on the pitch have shaped football history (The Anatomy of England). Here, Wilson borrows the formula from the latter title to produce a forensic analysis of ten key Liverpool games that have shaped the club's fortunes over the last century: from the long lost triumphs of Tom Watson (a nineteenth-century Bill Shankly) to 1970s European triumph over the likes of Borussia Monchengladbach, to the mind-blowing 2005 comeback against AC Milan.

Berwick Rangers, England's only expatriate football club, have been ploughing a lone furrow in the Scottish league for more than a century. In The Lone Rangers, journalist and lifelong Berwick fan Tom Maxwell explores the confused national identity of Berwick-upon-Tweed and its unique football team - a side for whom every fixture is an international. With a foreword by Jim Jefferies and featuring exclusive interviews with a host of Berwick legends, as well as former international stars such as Gary Lineker, Ally McCoist and Trevor Steven, The Lone Rangers is one of a kind.