Evidence suggests that I may have been a little obsessed with football as a kid. What I really loved – when I couldn't actually play – was to draw and read football stories.
It was a struggle finding new football books to read in those days.
Nowadays however, there are so many good books available, it was a tough job to pick just ten – which is why I added one extra! After all, there are 11 players in a football team …
1. Young Footballer by Robert Bateman
The brittle yellow Sellotape holding my battered copy together is testament to the fact that this was my favourite book when I was growing up. The first stories I wrote were inspired by Robert Bateman's Young Footballer, published in 1972 and now sadly out of print (widely available online though). In fact, I suspect that the tale of Tom Faraday's attempt to keep Woodside Comets alive has had some influence on everything I've written since.
2. Keeper by Mal Peet
It was hard to choose just one of Mal Peet's football books; stories about goalkeepers have always held a special fascination for me. (It was the only position I was any good in, until the goals grew and I didn't!) Mal Peet is a superb storyteller, and this is so much more than the story of a poor kid working in the logging industry who makes it as a pro. There's the ghost for a start…
3. Football's Comic Book Heroes by Adam Riches, Tim Parker and Robert Frankland
Growing up, my life was measured out in gaps between issues of Roy of the Rovers and Tiger football comics. This book traces the origin of cartoon strip football stories in the 1920s, through the golden eras of the fifties and sixties, to the comics I loved in the seventies and eighties. The pictures alone provide hours of happy browsing, while the text is a fascinating exploration of how styles and stories evolved and reflected the times in which they were written.
4. What's Ukrainian for Football? by Helena Pielichaty
One of the titles from the Girls FC series by Helena Pielichaty. Playing football for Parrs Under 11s has helped Nika settle into her new life in England after moving from Ukraine. But when her team take part in a "World Cup" tournament, resentments come to the surface, and it takes a story from the past to bring the girls together. I liked the use of real history in this – a reminder of what football can mean to people, how it can bring hope and solidarity in the worst situations. Helena Pielichaty manages to tell a difficult story in a way that is accessible, but no less heartfelt. It made me want to read more about Parrs. A great series with lots of football, but also wider issues for readers to think about.
5. Football Academy: Boys United by Tom Palmer
I wish this series had been around when I was growing up. This opening book is a classic tale of a young footballer making the first steps to realise his dream. Readers will love the detail in the descriptions of life at a professional academy. I also really enjoyed spending time with the characters—there's depth and heart in the relationships, and how they develop over the course of the book. Thoroughly recommended.
6. My Father and Other Working-Class Football Heroes by Gary Imlach
A book every football fan should read! A reminder of what football was like before the Premier League and six-figure weekly salaries, when players went to games on the bus alongside fans, and often had a second job to make ends meet. It follows Stewart Imlach and his career as an FA Cup winner with Nottingham Forest; playing in the 1958 World Cup for Scotland (when the players had to buy their own shirts!); through the period of adjustment that took footballers from being virtual slaves, to the position they hold today. Fascinating, thought-provoking stuff, and a reminder of a time when the love of the game was the driving force in football.
7. Wicked World Cup by Michael Coleman
The Football World Cup – Horrible Histories style! A humorous and accessible history of the FIFA World Cup with lots of illustrations and quirky anecdotes. Ideal for getting you in the mood for this summer's tournament in Brazil. It will also give you armfuls of facts with which to entertain your family during half-time!
8. Flick to Kick, An Illustrated History of Subbuteo by Daniel Tatarsky
In the days before games consoles, the best way to play football indoors (without getting told off for smashing the ornaments) was Subbuteo Table Soccer. It involves flicking tiny footballers around a bumpy green cloth, and is one of the best, most skilful football games ever invented. One year, my dad and I attempted to play every group game in the World Cup Finals—a 0-0 draw between Peru and Scotland finally put an end to that folly. This book traces the history of table football and is packed with beautiful photos. A pot of tea and this book, and you won't hear a peep from me for hours.
9. You'll Win Nothing With Kids (Fathers, Sons and Football) by Jim White
If you've ever played youth football, managed a team, or stood on a muddy touchline in October drizzle, you'll recognise yourself in this book. A funny and affectionate account of Jim White's time managing his son's under-14s football team.
10. Blues News (The Birmingham City Matchday Programme)
You can substitute your own club's programme here, because it's the matchday programme as an icon – the place it holds in football folklore – that earns it a place on any list of football publications. Programmes had a magical status when I was a kid. My dad would come back from games and hand me a programme – sometimes signed! Often it would be curled from being in his pocket, sometimes still damp from ninety minutes on an uncovered terrace, and there was that unique programme smell of barely dry ink. Times and styles have changed, and the current Blues News is no longer 5p, but still affordable, well-designed, and contains more than enough information to keep me going between games. I found out the other day that it's now available as an app! I hope programmes will continue to be printed – they are an important part of many football fan's lives, and let's face it, you can't cut up an eBook and paste it into your scrapbook!
11. In Soccer Wonderland by Julian Germain
Julian Germain is a photographer and football fan. In Soccer Wonderland he has managed to capture the spirit of football and what it means to be a fan, through a collection of his own images, archive press shots, snapshots and ephemera. Beautiful.
It took me much longer than I expected to compile this list – partly because it's difficult to pick eleven and exclude others, but also because I kept stopping to dip into the books I was writing about. I hope you are inspired to have a look at a couple, and find yourself equally entranced.
