In our world of global superstar footballers, it’s easy to forget the grassroots of a sport where loyalty to a hometown club is often rock solid – and counts for everything. Even as local communities come under threat, football fandom still pulls us together. But why is this? What is the special magic that connects towns and teams? For many of us, the local club offers it all: passion, hope, heartache, drama. And a sense of belonging. The town where we grew up and all the places we’ve lived are the bedrock of our lives, and memories of seeing the local team play are inextricably intertwined with our sense of place and identity. Steve Leach spends a year visiting the twenty towns and clubs that are special to him. He celebrates the distinctiveness of these places, the fascinating differences between Lincoln and Leyton, Barrow and Birmingham, Macclesfield and Morecambe – towns and teams that may not be glamorous, but they are unique and, more importantly, they are home.
Inhoudsopgave
Contents; Foreword by Dr David Cooper; Preface; Place, community and football; Manchester: Old Moat Juniors, Parrswood Athletic and the Sky Blues; Barrow-in-Furness: You are awful (but I like you); Morecambe: Never do business with Mr Blobby; Accrington: Unwanted dumplings and useless wingers; Carlisle: The lucky soup and other football rituals; Wigan: Pies, the pier and fantastic fanzines; Macclesfield: Living on the Edge; Bolton: Stephen! Blackrod is calling your name!; Chester: The dire warnings of Mr Suspicious; Kidderminster: The renowned cuisine of Brian and Joan; Stockport: The manager who keeps coming back; Liverpool: The greatest game Anna ever saw; Leyton: The new Shoreditch or the old East End?; Gateshead: Worm sandwiches and world-class stag and hen parties; Fylde: There’ll be dancing in the streets of Kirkham and Wesham; Northampton: Sixty miles by road or rail to Northampton; Stoke-on-Trent: The survival of the Football Special bus; Birmingham: Cardboard pasties and volleys of expletives; Lincoln: The remarkable programme notes of Colin Murphy; Walsall: Whatever happened to Bill ‘Chopper’ Guttridge?; What Happened Next; Reflections; Acknowledgements; Index
Over de auteur
Steve Leach grew up in Stockport and has lived in a number of towns and cities, mainly in the North of England, whilst pursuing a career in education. In all the places he’s lived and worked, football has provided a common thread. He’s spent many a windswept Saturday afternoon on terraces from Barrow to Birmingham, Liverpool to Leyton.
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