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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Football (Soccer, Association football) > General
Football clubs across the world continue to embody many of the
collective symbols, identifications and processes of connectivity
which have long been associated with the notion of 'community'. In
recent years, however, the very term 'community' has become the
focus of renewed interest within popular discourse and amongst
academics, politicians and policy makers. It has become something
of a 'buzz' word, wheeled out as both a lament to more certain
times and as an appeal to a better future: a term imbued with all
the richness associated with human interaction. 'Community' has
also been employed increasingly within football, for instrumental
reasons concerned with policy and stadium redevelopment, and in
broader rhetoric about clubs, their localities and fans. This book
brings together a range of key debates around contemporary
understandings of 'community' in world football. Split into four
sections, it considers political and theoretical debates around
football and its connection with community; different national and
ethnic football communities; instrumental uses of football to
bridge gaps within and between groups; future directions in the
football and community debate. This book was published as a special
issue of Soccer & Society.
1992 to 2022 was a period like no other for West Ham United. Taking
in the rise of the Premier League, promotion, relegation, European
nights and so much more, Daniel Hurley looks at key moments in West
Ham's recent history from a fan's perspective, remembering joy and
despair in equal measure along his journey as a football supporter
from child to adult. The Games That Made Us is the story of an
unforgettable period in West Ham's history told through the club's
50 most important matches over the past 30 years, with each game
put into context and the consequences examined. From Dicks to Di
Canio, Harewood to Antonio, Redknapp to Allardyce, The Games That
Made Us tells tales of last-minute winners and last-second
heartbreak, of trips to Cardiff, 5-4 victories and 4-2 defeats,
plus more matches against Wimbledon than you would expect. Find out
how a former manager once gave Daniel a transfer exclusive, why his
son's first game was possibly the worst debut in history and why
John Hartson ruined his 14th birthday.
Sports are ubiquitous in American society, and given their
prominence in the culture, it is easy to understand how most youth
in the United States face pressure to participate in organized
sports. But what does this mean for the hundreds of thousands of
Americans who live with one or more physical disabilities and, in
particular, those in powered wheelchairs? Located at the
intersection of sports and disability, this book tells the story of
power soccer - the first competitive team sport specifically
designed for electric wheelchair users. Beginning in France in the
1970s, today, over sixty teams compete within the United States
Power Soccer Association (USPSA) and the sport is actively played
in over thirty countries. Using ethnographic research conducted
while attending practices, games, and social functions of teams
from across the nation, Jeffress builds a strong case that electric
wheelchair users deserve more opportunity to play sports. They
deserve it because they need the same physical and psychosocial
benefits from participation as their peers, who have full use of
their arms and legs. It challenges the social constructions and
barriers that currently stand in the way. Most importantly, this
book tells the story of some amazing power soccer athletes. It is a
moving, first-hand account of what power soccer means to them and
the implications this has for society.
This book presents a synthesis of the work on early football
undertaken by the authors over the past two decades. It explores
aspects of a figurational approach to sociology to examine the
early development of football rules in the middle part of the
nineteenth century. The book tests Dunning's status rivalry
hypothesis to contest Harvey's view of football's development which
stresses an influential sub-culture outside the public schools.
Status Rivalry re-states the primacy of these latter institutions
in the growth of football and without it the sport's story would
remain skewed and unbalanced for future generations.
'If you were expecting to read Razor's views on politics then
you're going to be disappointed. Anybody who wants to read that
needs help! This is yours truly talking about some of the
experiences that have helped to create the absolute legend that is
moi. Some of the tales involve a bit of mischief and most involve a
drink or two. Most importantly, though, they're all a bit of a
laugh so I'd settle down and have yourself a nice little read' The
two things Razor Ruddock can't resist in life are a pint and a
dare. That and seventeen years as a professional footballer under
his belt means he's got a story or two to tell. Chickening out of a
fight with Eric Cantona, robbing Alan Shearer's minibar, cinema
trips with Gazza, becoming mates with Ian Wright - Razor has seen
and done it all. Packed full of hilarious anecdotes, Razor gives us
his take on the beautiful game, sharing his tactics (good banter is
a defender's duty), red mist (and red cards) on the pitch, run-ins
with the FA and his theory as to why Ingerland never do as well as
we'd like, as well as his best ever goal and the greatest night of
his sporting life. Razor also lifts the lid on his bad reputation
and reveals his regrets, his heroes, his greatest fears (notably
upsetting the missus) and what it takes to make Britain's hardest
footballer cry. Poignantly, he shares his views on the importance
of family and his concerns over footballers' mental health. And the
biggest surprise of all: that he was a shy and retiring young lad
(and that his love of swearing comes from his mum). Cameo
appearances include: Bobby Robson, Diego Maradona, Eric Cantona,
Dennis Bergkamp, Harry Redknapp, David Beckham, Alan Shearer,
Gazza, Jimmy Case, Phil 'The Power' Taylor, Robbie Williams and
Nelson Mandela ('Nelse'). With his trademark sense of humour and
foot-in-mouth disease, The World According to Razor is like having
a pint down the pub with Razor himself.
Spanish soccer is on top of the world, at international and club
level, with the best teams and a seemingly endless supply of
exciting and stylish players. While the Spanish economy struggles,
its soccer flourishes, deeply embedded throughout Spanish social
and cultural life. But the relationship between soccer, culture and
national identity in Spain is complex. This fascinating, in-depth
study shines new light on Spanish soccer by examining the role this
sport plays in Basque identity, consolidated in Athletic Club of
Bilbao, the century-old soccer club located in the birthplace of
Basque nationalism. Athletic Bilbao has a unique player recruitment
policy, allowing only Basque-born players or those developed at the
youth academies of Basque clubs to play for the team, a policy that
rejects the internationalism of contemporary globalised soccer.
Despite this, the club has never been relegated from the top
division of Spanish football. A particularly tight bond exists
between fans, their club and the players, with Athletic
representing a beacon of Basque national identity. This book is an
ethnography of a soccer culture where origins, nationalism, gender
relations, power and passion, lifecycle events and death rituals
gain new meanings as they become, below and beyond the playing
field, a matter of creative contention and communal affirmation.
Based on unique, in-depth ethnographic research, this book
investigates how a soccer club and soccer fandom affect the life of
a community, interweaving empirical research material with key
contemporary themes in the social sciences, and placing the study
in the wider context of Spanish political and sporting cultures.
Filling a key gap in the literature on contemporary Spain, and on
wider soccer cultures, this book is fascinating reading for anybody
with an interest in sport, anthropology, sociology, political
science, or cultural and gender studies.
This book is the complete guide to all of the games played by
Hearts in European competitions since the club become only the
third Scottish team to enter the European Cup. With contributions
from several prominent Hearts players and celebrity fans, including
Ken Stott and Scott Wilson, From Athens to Zagreb will evoke
forgotten memories amongst fans of all ages.
As a young footballer, Clare Shine appeared to have it all. She won
her first international call-up at age 13, and by 15 was part of
the Republic of Ireland Women's under-17 squad. But the pressure of
being a star striker weighed heavily on her young shoulders. By age
19, she had played in a UEFA European Championship and a FIFA World
Cup, scored the winner in a Cup Final, won her first senior
international cap and become a full-time professional player. But
she had also become addicted to alcohol, experimented with drugs,
suffered panic attacks and attempted suicide for the first time.
This is the story of someone trapped in a world where the weight of
expectancy and the battle with personal demons was all washed away,
albeit temporarily, whenever she put the ball in the back of the
net. It is the story of a girl struggling to find her true
identity, a journey in search of confidence and self-belief from
someone who seemingly had it in abundance, and a remarkable tale of
recovery and achieving new goals.
The identification and development of talented young players has
become a central concern of football clubs at all levels of the
professional game, as well as for national and international
governing bodies. This is the first book to offer a comprehensive
survey and assessment of youth development programmes in football
around the world, to highlight best practice, and to offer clear
recommendations for improvement. The book draws on original,
in-depth research at eight elite professional football clubs,
including Barcelona, Ajax and Bayern Munich, as well as the French
national football academy at Clairefontaine. It adopts a
multi-disciplinary approach, including psychology, coaching and
management studies, and covers every key topic from organisational
structures, talent recruitment and performance analysis to player
education and welfare. Written by two authors with extensive
experience in English professional football, including five
Premiership clubs, this book is important reading for any student,
researcher, coach, administrator or academy director with an
interest in football, youth sport, sports development, sports
coaching or sport management.
This book explores the story of one of the UK's most successful
teams and its world-famous stadium. It lets you discover what part
Winston Churchill, Buffalo Bill and Frank Sinatra played in the
stadium's history. It is a paperback reprint of the bestselling
2008 edition. For more than 100 years, Ibrox has been the home of
Rangers Football Club. It has been the scene of some of this
sporting institution's greatest triumphs but also two of the worst
disasters in British football. Ibrox is an imposing ground that is
rich with history and tradition, while boasting state-of-the-art
modern facilities that rank alongside the best in the world. Its
wood-panelled entrance lobby and famous marble staircase evoke
memories of a distant era, while the glittering trophy room inside
the magnificent Main Stand tells the story of the club better than
any words can. Though Rangers have managed to preserve the
traditions of the famous old stadium, much of the Ibrox of today
bears little resemblance to the ground which opened in December
1899. This book charts, in words and pictures, the history of Ibrox
from the early days, through the creation of Archibald Leitch's
stunning Main Stand in 1929, with its Masonic imagery, to the
present-day five-star facilities. Using official records and
eyewitness accounts, it tells the story of the two Ibrox disasters
that claimed a total of 91 lives and tells how the second tragedy
in 1971 resulted in a complete overhaul of the stadium and the
creation of the most modern football ground in Britain, years ahead
of its time. As well as the many football triumphs, the stadium has
witnessed dozens of other events over the years, including the
famous annual Ibrox Sports meeting created by the legendary manager
Bill Struth. On one spectacular afternoon, seven world records were
broken in one race on the Ibrox cinder track. The book also reveals
the part played by famous figures like Buffalo Bill Cody, King
George V, Winston Churchill, Eric Liddell, Billy Graham, Frank
Sinatra and Elton John in the history of the stadium. Ibrox holds
the record attendance for a League match in Britain, and it would
be nothing more than a pile of bricks and mortar without the fans
who breathe life into it every other Saturday. In this book,
supporters recall their memories of the stadium, from starting
bonfires on the vast terraces to keep warm in the depths of winter
and donning customised hard-hats as protection from flying beer
bottles in the 1960s, to the spectacular Champions League nights of
the 21st century. The common theme is the passion of the fans and
the red-hot atmosphere in the ground.
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