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.

Football has traditionally been an institution hostile toward sexual minorities. Boys and men in the sport have deployed high levels of homophobia for multiple reasons. However, the ground-breaking research within this book shows that intolerant attitudes toward gay men are increasingly being challenged. Based on unprecedented access to Premier League academies, Inclusive Masculinities in Contemporary Football: Men in the Beautiful Game explores these changing attitudes toward homophobia in football today. Revealing a range of masculine identities never before empirically measured at this level of football, this book discusses the implications for the complex and enclosed structures of professional sport, and extends our understanding of contemporary masculinity. It also offers fresh insights to the importance of "banter" in the development of relationships and identities. This culture of banter often plays a paradoxical role, both facilitating and disrupting friendships formed between male footballers. As the first title in the Routledge Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities Series, this book is fascinating reading for all students and scholars interested in football and the study of gender, sexuality and the sociology of sport.

Spice Up Your Life: Liverpool, the Nineties and Roy Evans is the fascinating story of arguably the most significant decade in the long history of Liverpool FC. After the Reds' most dominant and successful decade in the 1980s, the early 90s saw a rapid decline in the club's fortunes under the stewardship of Liverpool icon Graeme Souness, who was sacked in January 1994. Spice Up Your Life charts the gradual renaissance at Anfield under Souness's replacement and long-term boot-room member Roy Evans, the much-adored 3-5-2 formation, the infamous 'Spice Boys' moniker and the revitalisation of a football club that looked to be in freefall. The book explores the emergence of many of Anfield's youngest and brightest stars - from Steve McManaman to Jamie Redknapp, Robbie Fowler to Michael Owen - and credits Evans, as the last Liverpool manager from the legendary boot room, for bringing the Merseyside club back to prominence and ready to retake its perch at the top of English football.

There is only one Arsène Wenger - and for the very first time, in his own words, this is his story.

In this definitive autobiography, the world-renowned, revolutionary football manager discusses his life and career, sharing his leadership principles for success on and off the field. At Arsenal, Wenger won multiple Premier League titles, a record number of FA Cups, and masterminded the historic 'Invincibles' season of 2003-2004. He changed the game in England forever, popularising an attacking approach and changing attitudes towards nutrition, fitness and coaching methods - and towards foreign managers. The book charts his extraordinary career, from his rise in France and Japan where he managed Nancy, Monaco and Nagoya Grampus Eight - clubs that also play in red-and-white - to his twenty-two years at the helm in north London.

A must-read not only for Arsenal supporters but football fans everywhere, MY LIFE IN RED AND WHITE illuminates the mystique surrounding one of the most respected managers in the world's most popular sport.

Soccer is the fastest growing sport in America: almost nine million children between the ages of six and eleven play, making it second in that age group behind basketball. But because of its only recent explosion in popularity, many coaches are just as inexperienced as the children on their teams. Directed toward the inexperienced soccer coach, but useful for anyone interested in improving their coaching (and players') abilities, this work addresses both the physical and mental aspects of the game. It provides a detailed overview of the fundamental skills of controlling, shielding, defending, turning, feinting, dribbling, passing, shooting, and defending, and keys to smart play and sportsmanship for coaches and players. It also provides tips for adapting the game to different age groups, ; structuring and running practices, ; getting the most out of each match, and; answering the most common questions asked by coaches and parents. ; Illustrations and diagrams supplement the text.

The sports agent has become a highly significant figure in contemporary sport business. The role of the agent is essential to our understanding of labour markets and labour relations in an increasingly globalised sports industry. Drawing on extensive empirical research into football around the world, this book explains what agents do, how their role has changed, and why this is important for future sport business. Offering analysis from economic, legal, social and historical perspectives, the book explores key topics such as: the history of sports agents including the emergence of the modern agent in US sport typologies and demographic profiles of agents in football valuations and organisational analysis of leading European agents and agencies relations between agents and clubs future directions for research into sports agents. Focusing on the major European leagues, this book goes further than any other in illuminating an important but under-researched aspect of contemporary sport business. It is a valuable resource for any student, researcher or policy-maker with an interest in sport business, sport management, sport policy, the economics of sport or labour economics.

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022 A football fan's dream come true - every complete UK PANINI sticker album 1978-1985 reproduced together for the very first time. 'This book delivers a thousand memories'. Mark Lawrenson 'Swapsies', 'Got, Got, Need' and 'Shinies'... This landmark illustrated book is a fantastic feast of nostalgia for any football fan of a certain age. PANINI albums were a must-have if you were a football-mad kid growing up in the late 70s and 80s, when player stickers were bought, bartered and collected in a treasured rite of passage. This book will bring back all those 'I had that one', 'I'd forgotten about him' and 'look at that haircut!' memories as well as providing in-depth details on all the players and teams of the era. Licensed by PANINI, this is a comprehensive collection of PANINI'S UK domestic football albums from 1978 to 1985 inclusive. Covering all English First Division and Scottish Premier teams, it features not only all the great teams and players of the era, but the one-season wonders and the also-rans as well. Inside the book: - Nearly 5,000 images of iconic PANINI stickers, album covers and sticker packet designs. - Hundreds of clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Celtic, Rangers, Manchester City, Spurs, Newcastle United, Dundee United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Aberdeen and West Ham United. - Photographs and pen portraits of the great players of the day, such as Bryan Robson, Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan, Ossie Ardiles, Ian Rush and John Barnes, plus World Cup winners in the twilight of their careers and young stars in the making, like Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle, Mark Hughes and Gary Lineker.

The popularity of youth soccer in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. The number of players and spectators has risen and soccer now rivals the more traditional American sports of baseball, basketball, and football. This work is a study of current youth soccer training methods at professional clubs in Europe - where soccer is an extremely competitive sport - and a guide to applying those methods to young people in the United States. The author draws much of his information from personal observation of the FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Glasgow Celtic, Munich 1860, and Slavia Prague professional teams in Europe and provides an overview of the state of youth soccer in the United States. Chapters cover such topics as facilities, equipment, organization, and environment, player evaluation, training timetables and components, coaching, and philosophies of youth soccer. Also included are approximately 100 diagrams of soccer training exercises for youth coaches.

As Marcelo Bielsa's interpreter, Salim Lamrani was his right-hand man throughout his first season in charge of Leeds United. As a privileged witness to that remarkable 2018/19 campaign, Lamrani tells the inside story of how the club came within a hair's breadth of returning to the Premier League before winning promotion in the very next season to end a 16-year exile. Lamrani lays bare the secrets behind Bielsa's methods, starting with the demands he makes in an intense pre-season, through to the Argentinian tactician's unwavering loyalty to a highly effective style of play - a style based on possession, collective coverage, rapid transitions, changes of tempo and constant attack. For him, beauty is non-negotiable. Thanks to Bielsa, the players of Leeds United were the actors in an unforgettable epic, which made an indelible mark on millions of supporters. Taking us match by match through Bielsa's first year in English football, Lamrani weaves a fascinating narrative and paints an intimate portrait of a unique football genius.

Comprehensive and thorough exploration of components in elite and professional football. Present's a great level of real world, practical information associated with research, specifically discussing job duties, with attention to different areas of sport and how to use the technology in the field All contributors are leading practitioners working in elite soccer

This volume draws upon social science and historical approaches to provide insights into the world of women's football and female fans. It gives an in-depth analysis of the development of the women's game in different European countries and examines the experiences of female fans. An overview about women's football in Europe shows the rise and development of the game and the increasing inclusion of girls and women in football and fan communities. To date, there has been a lack of research on female participation in football, but drawing on research studies from various European countries, the volume explores a range of issues, including how girls and women become football fans and players, how women combine football with their everyday lives, and how they may encounter stereotypes and barriers when they challenge male dominance by entering this traditionally male sport. This collection will be of interest to students and scholars in a range of fields, including sports sociology, sport sciences, gender studies, leisure studies, women's studies as well as fandom and cultural studies.

Tommy Johnston was voted Leyton Orient's greatest ever player by fans of the club in a poll to mark the Millennium, gaining 20 percent of all votes cast. Born in Loanhead, Tommy holds the club record for the most goals scored in a single season, and the most goals scored on aggregate throughout his career. During his long career, Tommy played in every class of football, from juvenile football in Scotland with Loanhead Mayflower and Peebles Rovers, to professional with one Scottish League club (Kilmarnock), one Welsh club (Newport County) and seven English clubs: Darlington, Oldham Athletic, Norwich City, Leyton Orient (twice), Blackburn Rovers and Gillingham. In this new book about his life and times as a footballer, Neilson Kaufman and Alan Ravenhill chart the ups and downs of Tommy Johnston's career, telling his story for the legions of fans up and down the country who remember his special talents. The text is embellished with many previously unpublished photographs from the Johnston family archive, and there are full statistical records to give a complete picture of the career of one of the greatest players ever to pull on a Leyton Orient shirt. The book is an essential addition to the bookshelves of any fan with an interest in the men who shaped the history of our national game, and is sure to have wide appeal.

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.

This book examines the exclusion of British Asians from the football industry, drawing on a wealth of empirical work with players, coaches, scouts, managers, fans, anti-racist organisations, community officers, and key stakeholders. It adopts a critical race theory (CRT) perspective to offer a platform for excluded communities to discuss their experiences and offer their advice, guidance and criticisms. Notions of whiteness, intersectionalities and gender are explored and filter throughout. This book highlights historical and contemporary reasons for the British Asian exclusion from football, critically examines a number of tried and tested inclusion strategies, and offers recommendations for reform to help achieve equality and inclusion. The research aims to: dehomogenise British Asian football experiences offer the counter-narratives of British Asian male and females to challenge master-narratives comprehend the importance of intersectionalities understand identity shifts and cultural changes challenge socio-cultural stereotypes and racial myths highlight contemporary manifestations of racisms in football at all levels examine the role 'parallel football' environments have played in the exclusion cast a critical eye over inclusion initiatives promote recommendations for reform which are born out of empirical research As long as marginalized groups, such as British Asians, are excluded from a field of popular culture, in this case football, it is a topic that demands attention, deserves investigation and requires solutions. It is hoped that this book can be of use to students, researchers and policymakers who share an active interest in football, exclusion and equality.

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.

A lack of 'sustainability thinking' is evident at the heart of many of the problems that football faces today; from the huge amounts of money that clubs seem compelled to spend on what are often short-term gains - and the speculation, debt and market-centred ideology that goes with it - to the not unrelated deep disenchantment experienced by many football fans for a game that they still, despite it all, remain determined to love. Sustainability here is more broadly conceptualised than focusing on environmental issues. It encompasses social and economic sustainability, albeit with a critical eye on the interdependent, often contradictory, relationship between what the United Nations regards as the three 'pillars' of sustainability (environmental, social and economic). Fittingly, this book is the result of an international collaboration between an interdisciplinary network of academics and football industry practitioners, brought together by the Centre for the Study of Football and its Communities (CSFC), based at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. The critical insights collected here focus not just on football's problems, but also how clubs, authorities, players and fans in a range of local contexts are positively tackling the challenges of surviving and thriving in the contemporary global game. This book was originally published as a special issue of Sport & Society.

By the summer of 1996, Newcastle were officially the second best club in England following a dramatic race for the Premier League title, with the ambition to become even bigger. They would break the transfer world record by signing the England captain Alan Shearer, ahead of rivals Manchester United, for GBP15 million from Blackburn Rovers and had the talismanic figure of Kevin Keegan as their manager. It was expected a golden period to match the start of the 1900s would follow, when Newcastle had been champions of England three times and had reached five FA Cup finals. Instead, by the start of 1997, Keegan had left following a boardroom row. Sir Bobby Robson had accepted and then turned down the chance to replace Keegan as manager and Newcastle had turned to Kenny Dalglish to maintain their assault as a genuine, emerging force in European football. Dalglish himself would be sacked within 18 months and Newcastle would embark on a breathless and reckless period in their history. Tunnel of Love reflects the dramatic highs and gut wrenching lows that covered the 13 year period which followed the failed agony of falling so close to becoming champions of England in 1996, when Keegan's Entertainers were in their pomp. It takes in unforgettable nights at St James' Park - the beating of Barcelona, the apparent taming of Manchester United and the breathtaking tribute to Shearer - for 10 years' service that saw him become the club's all-time leading goalscorer. Yet by its close Newcastle are fighting for their Premier League lives as they head to Villa Park on the final day of the 2008/09 season. Tunnel of Love takes you back on the rollercoaster that got them there.

'Steeped in glory, loved by players for his light touch, he is probably the most coveted coach in the world.' - Financial Times 'a treasury of anecdote and insight' - The Guardian 'Quiet Leadership contains page upon page of insight into his methods from Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, John Terry and more'. - Sport Magazine Carlo Ancelotti is one of the greatest managers of all time, with five Champions League titles to his name. Yet his approach could not be further from the aggressive theatricals favoured by many of his rivals. His understated style has earned him the fierce loyalty of players like David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. In Quiet Leadership, Ancelotti reveals the full, riveting story of his managerial career - his methods, mentors, mistakes and triumphs - and takes us inside the dressing room to trace the characters, challenges and decisions that have shaped him. The result is both a scintillating memoir and a rare insight into the business of leadership.

Soul and Glory takes you on a journey through football history, spanning four unforgettable and unique decades from 1950 to 1989. Using beautiful images, it's a celebration of the game, from the life and soul of the packed-out terraces to the glory and despair on the pitch. The book showcases the diversity and individuality of football going back to an era when things looked very different than now, for better or worse. Whether it's muddy pitches, players celebrating with fans, larger-than-life characters or stadiums packed out an hour before kick-off, Soul and Glory will take you on a nostalgia-filled trip down memory lane. Legends such as George Best, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Paul Gascoigne and Stanley Matthews all feature, as well as a wide selection of teams and stadia. This stunning pictorial celebration of English football is sure to leave you reminiscing about the uniqueness and flamboyance of the nation's football heritage.

Football is ubiquitously acknowledged as 'The Global Game' and/or 'The People's Game' - everyday all-encompassing terms familiar to anyone with an interest in football which illustrate, albeit nebulously, the game's international reach and popularity. Yet much academic and popular attention has been, and continues to be, narrowly centred on topics pertaining to the elite and professional aspects of the game. At a time when there appears to be an ever-widening gap between the grassroots and elite levels of the sport, this book brings together, for the first time, a collection of research articles dedicated solely to youth and junior grassroots football. The intention is to generate future inquiry, encourage theoretical debate and stimulate empirical research on topics and issues within the relatively marginalised area of the game that is youth and junior grassroots football. The collection represents a preliminary consideration of what is already currently known about grassroots football and, no less importantly, point towards what remains unknown and under-researched but which deserves much more attention than has been given hitherto. As such, the collection includes contributions from practitioners and researchers alike. Topics included range from the provision, organisation and development of grassroots football in one national association, to broader issues such as the sources of enjoyment in participation, the lived experiences of junior players and coaches, to the causes of youth dropout from football. In addition, the significance of social stratification and various forms of social division which structure children's participation in grassroots football are discussed. These include female participation and the role of elite female role models, and issues relating to the participation of immigrant youth. The book is intended to appeal to practitioners, academics and football enthusiasts alike. This book was originally published as a special issue of Soccer & Society.

2021 saw the centenary of the formation of the League of Ireland, the Republic of Ireland's primary professional association football league. This new collection draws on the work of a number of leading historians of Irish soccer and seeks to examine a number of previously under-researched aspects relating to the league. The book examines the initial growth of clubs in Dublin and the Free State League's early turbulent history, while the impact of Irish players and administrators on the development of soccer clubs at home and abroad is also assessed. Following the partition of Ireland in 1921, players continued to move from Dublin clubs to those in Northern Ireland and this is also discussed, particularly in light of the Troubles of 1968-1998. Despite the migration of many Irish-born players to Britain, the League of Ireland has also attracted internationally based players and the impact of this is also examined. The role of the league in the provision of players for the Irish Olympic team is also explored, as is the work of SARI in its attempts to eradicate racism from Irish sport. This publication aims to commemorate some of those who have strived to maintain the League of Ireland's presence against the backdrop of what has become the world's most attractive football league, located in Ireland's neighbour, England. It will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of Sports, History, Sociology and Politics. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Soccer & Society.

The English Premier League (EPL) is one of the world's most valuable and high-profile sports leagues, with millions of fans around the globe. The 2016/17 season marked the 25th anniversary of the EPL, providing a unique opportunity to reflect on how it has contributed, both positively and negatively, to key developments in football - and in sport and culture more broadly - at local, national and global levels. Drawing on central themes in the social scientific study of sport, such as globalisation, celebrity, fandom, commercialisation, gender, sexuality and race, this book is the first to assess the historical development and current significance of the EPL. With original contributions from several of the world's leading football scholars, it provides in-depth case studies of the multifaceted role of the EPL in the contemporary world of sport, as well as offering thought-provoking predications for the future challenges that it will face. The English Premier League: A Socio-Cultural Analysis is a fascinating read for any sport studies student or scholar with a particular interest in football and the sociology of sport.

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.