The American Dream is founded upon the ideological belief that 'you can be anything you want to be', regardless of your current class position, and is one of the most emotive, pervasive and ideologically embedded concepts championed by American citizens. Providing contemporary insight into the American Dream via the critical lens of soccer - the world's pre-eminent sport but still a minority interest in the US - this book challenges the notion that America is different, exceptional or unique in the global order, either in real socio-economic-political terms or in perceived cultural terms. Soccer and the American Dream offers an overview of soccer in the US and uses case studies to explore the motives of American university students in undertaking a soccer scholarship, considering the impact of family, social class and career development upon social mobility and upon the game itself. Providing a fascinating new insight into the nexus of sport, education, culture and society, this is a topical resource for students, scholars and practitioners across the fields of soccer, higher education, youth sport, sports development, sports coaching and sport management.

With this book, coaches are given the necessary knowledge to plan and deliver player-centred practices that are both relevant and realistic to the game. These practices will challenge players as well as encourage them to be creative, independent decisionmakers. A range of different practices are provided, which can be used as given or easily adapted to meet players' needs. These practices can be used to develop a range of playing skills and can even be combined to create sessions for a complete training curriculum for the season. Finally, with this book, coaches will gain a better understanding of the crucial role that they play in the players' long-term development, helping them to appreciate the skills they already have while identifying other areas in which to improve. The Intelligent Soccer Coach is a book that coaches will return to time and again for inspiration and ideas that will ensure both the coach and the players continue to develop.

El Más Grande is the story of Argentina's biggest and most successful football club, River Plate. From their humble origins in the southern districts of Buenos Aires, River grew into one of the largest clubs in South America, earning the nickname 'The Millionaires' as they established themselves at the iconic Monumental Stadium. Over the years, River have propelled some of the greatest talents on the continent to fame, whilst enchanting generations of fans with their stylish play. The book journeys back to the 'máquina' team of the 1940s, arguably the most attractive club side of the pre-television era, with its fabled frontline of Moreno, Loustau, Pedernera, Labruna and Muñoz. It takes us through the great sides of the 1950s, 70s and 90s right up to the all-conquering reign of present coach Marcelo Gallardo. Along the way, we discover the great players who have worn the distinctive white shirt with the red sash - from Bernabé Ferreyra, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Enzo Francescoli to Manchester City's new signing Julián �lvarez.

In spite of a great passion in the game and significant involvement at amateur level, British Asians are under-represented in professional football. This book asks how and why this situation has developed, using extensive interviews with British Asian football players to offer an insider's assessment of the difficulties and conflicting demands faced every day. In addition, the book also critically examines the work of the anti-racist football movement, questioning the strategies and policies designed to eradicate racism and asking whether other approaches might be more effective or reflective of the views of the players themselves.

Ideal for academics and students of the sociology of ethnicity, sport, youth studies or cultural studies, this innovative book will also be of interest to professionals in the field of equal opportunities.

In what sense can organized football fans be understood as political actors or participants in social movements? How do fan struggles link to wider social and political transformations? And what methodological dilemmas arise when researching fan activism? Fan Activism, Protest and Politics seeks ethnographic answers to these questions in a context - Zagreb, Croatia - shaped by the recent Yugoslav wars, nation-state building, post-socialist 'transition' and EU accession. Through in-depth ethnography following the everyday subcultural practices of a left-wing fan group, NK Zagreb's White Angels, alongside terrace observations and interviews conducted with members of GNK Dinamo's Bad Blue Boys, this book details fans' interactions with the police, club management, state authorities and other fan groups. Themes ranging from politics, socialization, masculinity, sexuality and violence to fan authenticity are examined. In moving between two groups, the book explores methodological issues of wider relevance to researchers using ethnographic methods. This is important reading for students and researchers alike in the fields of football studies, regional studies of the former Yugoslavia and post-socialism, political sociology and social movements, and studies of masculinity, gender and sexuality. A useful resource for scholars writing about social movements and protest, or post-socialist subcultural scenes in south-east Europe, the book is also a fascinating read for policymakers interested in better understanding the contemporary (geo)political situation in the region.

As the digital revolution continues apace, emergent technologies and means of communication present new challenges and opportunities for the football industry. This is the first book to bring together key contemporary debates at the intersection of football studies, leisure studies, and digital cultural studies. It presents cutting edge theoretical and empirical work based around four key themes: theorizing digital football cultures; digital football fandom; football and social media; and football (sub)cybercultures. Covering topics such as transnational digital fandom, online abuse, and gender, Digital Football Cultures argues that we are witnessing the hyperdigitalization of the world's most popular sport. This book is a valuable resource for students and researchers working in leisure studies, sports studies, football studies, and critical media studies, as well as geography, anthropology, criminology, and sociology. It is also fascinating reading for anybody working in sport, media, and culture.

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 story of British football's journey from public school diversion to mass media entertainment is a remarkable one. The Association Game traces British football from the establishment of the earliest clubs in the nineteenth century to its place as one of the prominent and commercialised leisure industries at the beginning of the twenty first century. It covers supporters and fandom, status and culture, big business, the press and electronic media and development in playing styles, tactics and rules. This is the only up to date book on the history of British football, covering the twentieth century shift from amateur to professional and whole of the British Isles, not just England.

Tifo refers to the artistic renderings that supporters at football/soccer matches perform. This can involve large banners, coordinated mosaic displays, and pyrotechnics. Originating in Europe, the tradition has spread across the world and to other sports. Tifos vary in size, content, and execution, but all emerge from the desire supporters have for signaling and displaying their collective community, specific identities, and extensive devotion to their clubs. Fans fashion tifos to communicate publicly about identity, sense of place, past success, politics, and heated rivalries. Their assorted content makes tifos a distinctive form of fan-generated communication. Traditionally, supporters display tifos only momentarily before football/soccer matches. Yet they have become increasingly complex, sophisticated, and competitive-requiring dozens of people to create them, financial investments usually from fans to procure the materials needed to finance them, and on-site, in-stadium coordination to display them. These factors contribute to a unique, complex, and globalized form of fan communication that captures not only the obvious and intended messages of tifos, but also demonstrates the effort and devotion needed to execute them. This book examines the history and evolution of tifos, their social significance for clubs, places, and communities, the identities and associated affiliations they discursively perform, and the explicit and implicit symbolism they contain. Given the demanding practices surrounding the development and execution of tifos, and their overall captivating nature, this book should appeal to a broad audience including students and scholars working in sport as well as fans of it.

Taking up where 'Red Army General' left off, O'Neill begins with Operation Mars, the massive undercover operation to trap United's 'top boys', and reveals the truth behind their headline-making Crown Court trial and their eventual acquittal.

The King Takes Over: Liverpool and the Dalglish Years 1985–1991 is a fast-paced and nostalgic account of a time when Liverpool were the best team in the land, and played a brilliant style of football still talked about more than 30 years on. It is the story of how Liverpool’s greatest player became one of its greatest managers. Taking a wistful look back at the glory years of 1985–1991, the book revisits the great games and goals of the Kenny Dalglish era. It examines the circumstances of the Heysel tragedy and how Dalglish became Liverpool’s first player-manager in the darkest period in both the club and the city’s history, amid the chaos wrought by Thatcher’s government. How did the Hillsborough disaster impact Dalglish, the club, players and fans? How did John Barnes, the first black player signed by Liverpool, overcome racism from the terraces to become a legend in red? Why did the Reds not win the championship for 30 years after 1990? What were the real circumstances behind Dalglish’s shock resignation in 1991?

Physical training is a key part of preparing to play soccer (football) at any level, but organising a genuinely effective training programme requires both an understanding the physiological principles involved and a practical knowledge of the demands of the game. In response to the lack of in-depth and up-to-date material focussing on this area, the book provides clear guidelines, an evidence base and a theoretical framework for proven effective soccer training. It includes: planning seasonal training to peak at the right time; training for strength, speed, aerobic and anaerobic fitness; designing appropriate sessions for training and rehabilitation; best methods for recovery from exercise and reducing injury risk; preparation for play in different environmental conditions; evaluating the effectiveness of training programmes; and diet, sleep, lifestyle, young players and long-term development. Clear explanations of the physiological concepts and sport science research evidence are given throughout, and the book contains many examples to illustrate the training principles in practice. for coaches, physical trainers and sport scientists working in soccer (football). Thomas Reilly is Professor of Sports Science and Director of the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. He is President of the World Commission of Science and Sports, and chairs the International Steering Group on Science and Football.

Nutrition and Football is a FIFA endorsed book which provides the first formal scientific consensus on players' energy use fluid, and optimal nutritional requirements. Including: nutrition for pre-season, training, match play and in different climates analysis of the energy and metabolic demands of players in different positions water and electrolyte requirements strategies to balance effects of stress, over training and over playing ideal body composition in professional football analysis and interventions to counter late game fatigue supplements and nutrition for optimum training adaptation the effects of alcohol on metabolism, performance and general health. Each contributor to this accessible guide is an internationally recognized expert in their field and the chapters embrace all key aspects of nutrition for football. Presenting cutting-edge research, the book has a practical and applied focus and has been developed with input from practicing sports nutrition club professionals.

The Hibs are Here is the follow up to Ian Colquhoun's previous book on Hibernian Football Club: From Oblivion to Hampden. That culminated in the club's successful League Cup winning season in 1991/92. This next volume is subtitled Miller to Millennium and charts the period from 1992 through to 1999. With fresh insight via exclusive interviews with a number of the club's players, coaches and managers, Colquhoun threads these together with a fan narrative and analysis of that iconic decade. He relives the joy of a UEFA Cup run, reaching another cup final and an historic third-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership; the highs and lows of an instant promotion following relegation; and the heartbreak of losing that final and two semi-final defeats. From the pen of a passionate Hibs fan who was there for it all, The Hibs are Here is a wonderful trip down memory lane for any Hibernian supporter.

In spite of a great passion in the game and significant involvement at amateur level, British Asians are under-represented in professional football. This book asks how and why this situation has developed, using extensive interviews with British Asian football players to offer an insider's assessment of the difficulties and conflicting demands faced every day. In addition, the book also critically examines the work of the anti-racist football movement, questioning the strategies and policies designed to eradicate racism and asking whether other approaches might be more effective or reflective of the views of the players themselves.

Ideal for academics and students of the sociology of ethnicity, sport, youth studies or cultural studies, this innovative book will also be of interest to professionals in the field of equal opportunities.

Pretty Poly tells the fascinating story of the football shirt, charting its dramatic evolution over a 150-year period, from modest beginnings to a product at the centre of a billion-dollar industry. An emblem of everything it means to be a fan, the football shirt evokes memories of triumph and disaster and acts as a symbol of belonging to a chosen footballing tribe. Packed with facts, figures and anecdotes, Pretty Poly explores the history embedded in every feature of modern-day strips. It covers their ever-changing shape, the emergence of dedicated club and national colours and the often surprising reasons behind them. It also looks at the companies and designers behind some of our favourite strips, and explores the birth and exponential growth of the replica-kit industry. Along the way, we learn the histories of the iconic sponsors, names, numbers, patches and badges, and meet the kit collectors with a burning lifelong passion as we delve into the burgeoning vintage kit market that feeds their interest.

"The Work of Professional Football: A Labour of Love?" presents unique long-term studies and provides rare insights into to the precarious careers and ordinary working culture of professional soccer footballers. Away from the celebrity-obsessed media gaze, the work of a professional footballer is infrequently glamorous and for most players a career in football is insecure and short-lived.
As a former professional soccer player turned academic, Martin Roderick's familiarity with the world of football is foundational to this privileged research into a world that is typically both 'closed' to the public gaze and ignored by media reportage and academic research which prefers to focus on a small, unrepresentative group of elite players. Key themes explored within the text include:
- The culture of work in professional soccer football
- The changing identity, orientation and expectations of players during their career
- The fragile and uncertain nature of careers in professional sport
- The performance and drama of a career under public scrutiny
- The role of relationships with managers, owners, support staff and partners
- The insecurities inherent in a football career such as injury, aging, performance and transfer
The text deals with a wide range of issues for sports students and academics, particularly those with a focus on the sociology of sport but also including sport development, sport management and coaching studies. The text will be of interest to researchers in sport studies, careers, industrial relations and the sociology of work.

Galvinised is the tale of two footballing brothers with contrasting fortunes who played in a golden age of the game. It's a story of glamour and heartache. Tottenham Hotspur snapped up left-winger Tony Galvin from non-league Goole Town while he was studying Russian at Hull University. Tony won the FA Cup and UEFA Cup with Spurs alongside legendary stars such as Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles. He also won 29 Republic of Ireland caps and played at Euro 88. Tony ended his playing days at Sheffield Wednesday and Swindon Town. Conversely, elder brother Chris, an inside-forward, joined Leeds United as an apprentice but struggled to break into Don Revie's iconic team. After witnessing Leeds' glory days from the subs' bench, he played across the Football League pyramid at Hull City, Stockport County and York City before finding success in Hong Kong. The Galvin brothers have tales galore from the 1960s to 1980s, and share stories of players, travelling escapades, training ground bust-ups and unforgettable matches in this unique biography.

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.

By James Pearce, Oliver Kay, Simon Hughes and Other Award-Winning Writers of The Athletic As Liverpool ended their 30-year wait to be crowned champions of England, they were followed by their equivalent from the world of sports writing: a team of elite talents, assembled to leave all competition trailing in their wake. This is the story of Liverpool's title win in the longest season, as told by the writers of The Athletic, with their blend of inside access and expert analysis; great ideas and beautiful writing. Articles include profiles of each of Liverpool's title winners by their former youth team coaches; Oliver Kay watches Sadio Mane score against Manchester City in the company of the striker's family, in his hometown in Senegal; James Pearce spends 90 minutes analysing Virgil van Dijk; plus there are exclusive interviews with Jurgen Klopp, and the club's US owners. Read the stories behind a unique and historical season from a team of writers every bit as good as the footballers they were following.

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.

Football managers are at the center of today's commercially-driven football world, scrutinized, celebrated and under pressure as never before. This book is the first in-depth history of the role of the manager in British football, tracing a path from Victorian-era amateurism to the highly paid motivational specialists and media personalities of the twenty-first century.
Using original source materials, the book traces the changing character and function of the football manager, covering:
- the origins of football management - club secretaries and early pioneers
- the impact of post-war social change - the advent of the football business
- television and the new commercialism
- contemporary football - specialization and the influence of foreign managers and management practices
- the future of football management

"The Football Manager" examines the influence of Britain's traditionally pragmatic and hierarchical business management culture on British football, and in doing so provides a new and broader perspective on a unique management role and a unique way of life.
For those interested in the history of football and for those interested in management more generally, this book is a valuable new resource.

Football managers are at the center of today's commercially-driven football world, scrutinized, celebrated and under pressure as never before. This book is the first in-depth history of the role of the manager in British football, tracing a path from Victorian-era amateurism to the highly paid motivational specialists and media personalities of the twenty-first century.
Using original source materials, the book traces the changing character and function of the football manager, covering:
- the origins of football management - club secretaries and early pioneers
- the impact of post-war social change - the advent of the football business
- television and the new commercialism
- contemporary football - specialization and the influence of foreign managers and management practices
- the future of football management

"The Football Manager" examines the influence of Britain's traditionally pragmatic and hierarchical business management culture on British football, and in doing so provides a new and broader perspective on a unique management role and a unique way of life.
For those interested in the history of football and for those interested in management more generally, this book is a valuable new resource.