Shortlisted for Biography of the Year at the British Sports Book Awards When Laurie Cunningham played for England in an under-21s match against Scotland in 1977, he became the first black footballer to represent England professionally. Two years later, he would become the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid. In a time when racist chants flew from the stands, Cunningham's success challenged how black players were perceived, paving the way for future generations. But Cunningham was more than an exceptional footballer who could play like a dream. He was a dandy with a love of funk music and bespoke suits, as easily graceful on the dance floor as he was on the pitch. Different Class is a portrait of an important but unsung figure who brought glamour to the game at a particularly dark point in its history. Many know Laurie Cunningham's name but not his story; now they will know both.

Remarkable Football Grounds is a collection of some of the most memorable places to watch and play football around the world. They range from the stellar stadiums of the Premier League to windswept islands in the Scottish Hebrides or the far-flung Pacific, including stadia that resemble flying saucers, a crocodile and an armadillo! Remarkable Football Grounds features a range of the oldest, biggest, highest, quirkiest and furthest flung stadia and the stories behind their existence. Italian Serie B team Venezia can be reached by canal, with moorings nearby; Bamburgh Castle football ground lies in the shadow of a Game of Thrones-scale fortress, while Estadio Silvestre is a full-size pitch on the roof of a building in Tenerife. Some of the oldest, storied stadiums are here, including Anfield for Liverpool, Fulham, which has a tunnel under the pitch and the two Dundee football clubs, that have sizeable grounds, Tannadice and Dens Park, just 183 metres (200 yards) apart. At the quirkier end of the scale, the Aveiro stadium in Portugal looks like a giant children's playset, while in Gangwon, South Korea, the football pitch doubles as a ski jump landing area. Many of the stadiums come with spectacular views. The Faroe Islands have produced some strong football teams in the past and many of their grounds are set in picture perfect landscapes. The same can be said of Norway's Lofoten Islands where flat land is at a premium and the pitch sides are used for drying fish. In Slovakia, the Janosovka football pitch has a narrow gauge railway that runs between the pitch and the grandstand. Others are located in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. Nobody loves the 'away' fixture at Coroico which entails tackling the 'Death Road'. Grounds include: the impressive new Qatari World Cup venues, Wembley Stadium, Camp Nou, Monaco, Old Trafford, Allianz Arena, Petrovsky (Zenit St.Petersburg), Trogir in Croatia, Longgang in China and the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

'Magnificent... Freakonomics for football' - Guardian Football truly is the world's favourite game, followed in over 200 countries by hundreds of millions of people pouring their hearts and souls into supporting their chosen team every week. But behind the passion are questions that all true football aficionados want answered: has football spending spun out of control? How much do managers matter? Is hosting a World Cup a poisoned chalice? Fully revised and updated ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Soccernomics is the revolutionary guide from an economist and a sports writer who answer all these questions and more.

Arsenal 101 is an entertaining compendium of Arsenal's fascinating history, facts, games, stories, personalities, legends and footballing adventures. Rab MacWilliam has revisited the club's history from its early years as Woolwich Arsenal at the end of the nineteenth century to its status as one of the leading European teams of the present day. Rab has distilled Arsenal's history into 101 facts, moments and stories, examining many of the key characters, matches, controversies, innovations, and dazzling instances of brilliance that have illuminated the proud history of this great, if occasionally erratic, club. Funny, irreverent, fascinating and insightful, Arsenal 101 is the ideal handbook for Gunners fans of all ages.

From is genesis as Newton Heath LYR Football Club founded in 1878 all the way to the global sporting and commercial superpower that it is today, this is the history of Manchester United Football Club as you have never seen it before. Lifelong Red Devils' fan Neville Moir has distilled this extraordinary history into an amusing, fascinating and easy to read anthology. This entertaining volume is an instructive, if sometimes irreverent - but always affectionate - guide to some of the groundbreaking firsts, controversies, innovations, characters, achievements and disasters that have shaped one the greatest sporting institutions on the planet. Whether an expert or a novice, this compendium is perfect for all Man United fans, young and old, around the world.

The name 'Everton' has a kind of mystical quality that you just don't get with any other team. The club embodies a fantastic footballing tradition: since 1878, Everton have played more top-flight league games than any other English team and have won the League title nine times. Great players like Dixie Dean, Alex Young, Alan Ball and Howard Kendall have all sworn allegiance and taken Everton to their hearts. For those who know their history, no club compares to Everton.

Her Game Too is a call to arms for women to be given equal access to profile, opportunities and advancement in the beautiful game. Since the sport's early days, women have been excluded from football, with those brave enough to participate, either as fans or players, beset by misogynistic attitudes if not outright abuse. While we've seen great strides made in the battle for respect and inclusion, sadly there's still a long way to go. Matt Riley provides a platform for key voices in the movement, galvanised around HerGameToo, an organisation run by female fans to fight sexism in football. We hear from the HerGameToo founders who were name-dropped in the House of Commons, Helen Nkwocha, the first woman to coach a top-flight men's team in Europe, and HerGameToo director Natalie Atkinson among others. The book explores the roots of the movement with the story of pioneering female footballer Lily Parr, and sheds light on the future, which has looked increasingly bright since Premier League side Everton pledged its support to HerGameToo.

Just in time for the 2010 World Cup, Robin Goode's photographic documentation on football seeks to show the inherent purity of the beautiful game by capturing, at grassroots level, Africa's relationship with this most popular of sports. Goode has realised that the beauty and purity of the game can be found, far from the money and celebrity it sometimes brings to mind, in the children of the poorest places on earth. Muti, both a social documentary and photographic journey, highlights not only Africa's passion for football, but also the maladies that beset the continent, and football's potential role as a balm for those maladies. The Muti project aims at raising money to supply children's charities with much-needed medicine.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2023 - SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR THE OFFICIAL DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF BBC SPORTS REPORT ‘Opens the doors to one of the great radio institutions.' – Dan Walker ‘An absolute joy to read.’ – John Inverdale 'That opening tune always quickens the pulse.' – Henry Winter Sports Report is as much a 75-year history of sport as a BBC radio institution and Pat Murphy pays handsome tribute to a programme that is still followed affectionately by millions. For nearly 75 years, one BBC programme has been a constant factor in chronicling the way sport is covered, in all its many facets. It has been a window on the sporting world all over the globe – packed tightly into every Saturday evening for the bulk of the year. First broadcast in 1948, Sports Report is the longest-running radio sporting programme in the world and one of the BBC’s hardy perennials. Pat Murphy has been a reporter on the programme since 1981 and here he sifts comprehensively through the experiences of his contemporaries and those who made their mark on Sports Report in earlier decades. He hears from commentators, reporters, producers, presenters and the production teams who regularly achieved the broadcasting miracle of getting a live programme on air, without a script, adapting as the hour of news, reaction and comment unfolded. Drawing on unique access from the BBC Archives Unit, he highlights memorable moments from Sports Report, details the challenges faced in getting live interviews on air from draughty, noisy dressing-room areas and celebrates the feat of just a small production team in the studio who, somehow, get the show up and running every Saturday, with the clock ticking implacably on. --- Waterstones Best Books of 2022 – Sport

In May 1990 the unthinkable happened and Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to the second division of English football for the first time in six seasons. Ron Atkinson's talented squad - blessed with the likes of David Hirst, Carlton Palmer, Roland Nilsson and John Sheridan - could go one of two ways; stick together or fall apart. A year later they were back in the big time and holders of the League Cup having beaten Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United at Wembley. The collection of huge characters formed one of the most iconic sides in the club's rich history. For the very first time, '91 tells the inside story of that incredible season from those that were there; from training ground crisis talks to terrific goals, laughs, tears and beers on the open-top bus.

Deliberate Soccer Practice: 50 Rondo and Positional Play Practices is the fifth title in the bestselling practice series by coach and author Ray Power. Rondos are a football training methodology in constrained spaces, where one team has an overload over another and attempts to keep the ball away from the opposition. It is a practical training approach that has been championed by legendary coaches Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola, and clubs like Ajax and Barcelona, amongst others. To these coaches and clubs, rondos are not just fun warm-up exercises, they are fundamental to the development of players and teams. This book contains 50 well-planned, thought-out, and presented rondo-based football training practices for soccer coaches. They take the coach on a journey through the training methodology from basic to complex, with an eye on pitch shapes, the number of players available, and different scoring systems. Whether you employ the rondo methodology with your players already, or are looking to increase your practical knowledge and use of this world-leading training approach, Deliberate Soccer Practice: 50 Rondo and Positional Play Practices will help grow and develop your coaching and your football teams. About Ray Power. Ray Power is one of the bestselling football authors in the world. With over a decade of experience working in football and education, coaching players from non-league to Premier League levels, and internationally, he is the author of Making the Ball Roll, Coaching Youth Football: What Soccer Coaches Can Learn From The Professional Game, and five titles in the Deliberate Soccer Practice series. As a coach developer and educator, Ray has worked for, and consulted with, numerous national FAs, as well as governing bodies from other sports, including the NBA. He also works as a consultant - mentor - educator on a freelance basis, working with grassroots coaches all the way to professional teams.

THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR The Sunday Times bestseller is 'brilliant, gripping, beautifully written, real,' says Jonathan Northcroft. So, you think you know Joey Barton. Think again. No Nonsense is a game-changing autobiography which will redefine the most fascinating figure in British football. It is the raw yet redemptive story of a man shaped by rejection and the consequences of his mistakes. He has represented England, and been a pivotal player for Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers, Marseille, Burnley and Glasgow Rangers, but his career has featured recurring controversy. The low point of being sent to prison for assault in 2008 proved to be the catalyst for the re-evaluation of his life. No Nonsense reflects Barton's character - it is candid, challenging, entertaining and intelligent. He does not spare himself, in revealing the formative influences of a tough upbringing in Liverpool, and gives a survivor's insight into a game which, to use his phrase, 'eats people alive'. The book is emotionally driven, and explains how he has redirected his energies since the birth of his children. In addition to dealing with his past, he expands on his plans for the future. In this updated edition he speaks frankly about the gambling addiction that has left him facing a hefty ban. The millions who follow his commentaries on social media, and those who witnessed him on BBC's Question Time, will be given another reason to pause, and look beyond the caricature. 'Compelling' Donald McRae, Guardian 'Brilliant' Matt Lawton, Daily Mail

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.

'Unmissable: please read this extraordinary book.' - Daily Mail 'Genius... A difficult, deeply personal story beautifully told.' - The Athletic 'All men should read this book - important and brilliantly written.' - Alan Shearer 'A fantastic read... educational and thought-provoking. - ITV News 'A triumph... A worth follow-up to The Boy on the Shed.' - Jeff Stelling Former Newcastle United winger Paul Ferris was 51. He had successfully forged a post-football career as a physio, barrister and then a CEO, and his award-winning memoir, The Boy on the Shed, was just about to be published. But then he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This honest, sometimes brutal and frequently funny book tells the story of what happened next. Prostate cancer. It's a phrase that strikes fear into the heart of every man. It's the most common male cancer, but treatable if it's caught early enough. Paul doesn't shy away from describing that treatment. And neither does he hold back on its life-changing consequences - from harrowing surgery, humiliating procedures and excruciating consultations - as he strives to become the man he once was again. The mental challenges and psychological impact of living with this acute condition are explored in Paul's revealing and riveting narrative that represents rare male honesty, but this is never a 'poor me' book or not in any way self-pitying. Courageous, inspirational and beautifully written, The Magic in the Tin is a rare thing: deeply moving yet rich in humour, written by a true sportsman in every sense of the word. A brutal and poignant account of one man's journey through prostate cancer.

Born in 1985 in Daveyton, Junior Khanye’s story cycles through themes of comedy, tragedy and triumph. His love for Kung Fu movies characterises his moxie for life - Ghetto Ninja. Kung Fu and dancing soon translated to undeniable skill on the soccer field.

Junior was scouted to Kaizer Chiefs aged just seventeen, where he soon became the darling of the nation with his goal scoring prowess. He shares how often he flirted with dangerous situations. Junior’s reputation as a troubled youth soon saw him kicked out of Kaizer Chiefs. From there he went through a tumultuous period cycling through phases of poverty and prosperity.

As Junior was at the brink of cementing his comeback and affirming his maturity, he suffered a great tragedy when a gang was sent to kill his family. His father was murdered that night. Junior was in the house but managed to escape the attack.

The soccer commentator and actor is living proof that one can come back from a state of darkness to achieve greatness.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 'The greatest story in English sport told beautifully by one of its greatest writers' Gary Lineker 'A spellbinding piece of work' Oliver Holt; 'Absolute tour de force' Henry Winter Award-winning writer Paul Hayward delivers a compelling and unmissable account of the story of the England men's football team, published as they prepare for the World Cup in Qatar. On 30 November 1872, England took on Scotland at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow, a match that is regarded as the first international fixture. More than 5,000 fans watched the two sides play out a 0-0 draw. It was the first of more than a thousand games played by the side, and the beginning of a national love affair that unites the country in a way that few other events can match. In Hayward's brilliant new biography of the team, based on interviews with dozens of past and present players and coaches, including Viv Anderson, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and current coach Gareth Southgate, we get a vivid portrait of all aspects of the team's story, reliving highlights such as the World Cup victory in 1966 and the time when football came home in Euro 96, as well as the low points when the players were obliged to give the Nazi salute in 1938 and the era when England's hooligan fans brought shame on the nation. From Stanley Matthews and Bobby Moore through to more modern heroes such as Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane, Hayward brings a large cast of characters to life. For anyone who wants to understand England football, and why it means so much to so many, England Football: The Biography is an essential and vital read.

The rise and fall of Manchester City's Young Guvnors mirrored the government's attempts to get to grips with the escalating violence at football matches throughout the 1980s. Here Rodney Rhoden, one of the youngest members of this feared group of supporters, recalls the police tactics that ended The Young Guvnors reign of terror. "This is my story". The story of the Young Guvnors. "The Young Guvnors fought not only on the streets of Manchester against their fellow hooligans but with other firms up and down the country. We sought out rival fans to fight - to say it is not a pleasant story is an understatement. "From our formation in the mid 1980s when organized football hooliganism was at an all time high its a vicious account of how we operated our bloody battles with opposing mobs and ultimately about our demise."

Goooal! Now you can bring all of the fun and excitement of the soccer pitch to your desktop with this miniature set that you play with your fingers! * Everything you need to play: Includes soccer "pitch" mat, 2 goals, 2 pairs of soccer cleats for your fingers, 1 mini soccer ball * Book included: With a brief history and rules of the sport, profiles of famous players, trivia, and more in this 32-page fully illustrated miniature book * Unique gift: Perfect for soccer lovers of all ages

Bristol Rovers programme editor Keith Brookman has collaborated with former club photographer Alan Marshall to look back at a decade in the life of Bristol's oldest professional football club. So much happened during those 10 years and the photos contained within these pages offer only a tantalising glimpse of some of the players and events that are now consigned to the club's illustrious past. Keith has researched and added detailed descriptions of all the images to produce a document that charts the highs and lows of life at Bristol Rovers from 1991-2001. A decade that began with the departure of Gerry Francis as manager saw so many changes, not least the move back from Bath to Bristol and, eventually a home they could call their own. Managers and players came and went, there were two relegations and another trip to Wembley and some memorable football along the way.

Legends at the Lane is an independent compilation of match worn shirts from iconic periods, players and games and the long and illustrious history of Sheffield United football club. Featuring the iconic jerseys worn by Blades heroes in FA Cup final wins and semi-final losses, derby-day victories over city rivals Wednesday and the historic 1970/91 promotion season, Legends at the Lane aims to capture the literal fabric of Sheffield United. But it is more than just a history of the colours worn by the great and good of Bramall Lane history. This impressive, full-colour, hardback, coffee-table style book - with a foreword from legendary striker Brian Deane - will bring the shirts to life; capturing and featuring the stories of some of the most iconic players to have worn that iconic badge, in some of the most iconic games in the club's history.