Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #377808 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Peter Matthews, BBC Radio Gloucester Online
It really is a fascinating read, brilliantly researched, about a club whose heyday was well over 100 years ago. Well done to both the author for his research, and also local publisher SportsBooks for having the courage to bring out such a book. I hope it does well.
Peter Matthews

Bill Bridge, Yorkshire Post Online
A tribute to the part played by sons of the city in the development of the world's most popular sport.

Customer Reviews

The origins of the beautiful game
This is a great read for those who are interested in the origins of the worlds most popular sport. Find out how Mob football (still practiced on special occasions in some towns to this day) diversified to spawn soccer, rugby union, rugby league, Australian rules and Gaelic football and was transformed from a lawless and violent brawl into complex, tactical engagements between men of all social backgrounds. Learn how pitch size and markings, ball shapes, participant numbers, leagues and rules of play evolved over time either by accident or design to become the basis of the modern games that enthrall millions of people all over the world today. If you are a soccer fan, this book will encourage you to stand up to all those who decry it as a sport for thugs and make you feel proud to play a small part in its continuing history. It might also encourage you to go out and support your local team, even if like Sheffield FC, the world's very first football club, they presently find themselves in a position which is far from flattering.