Shanks for the Memory

Growing up on Merseyside in the seventies and eighties it was impossible to ignore the presence of Liverpool Football club. In an area with high unemployment and decaying infrastructure they were one of the few things to swell the city with pride. Yet only a few years before they had been a second tier team …

Ground from Above

A football pitch is not merely a place to kick a ball. For many living in the poorest parts of the world it’s a virtual oasis, a patch of ground where you can escape the reality of your life. Brazilian photographer Renato Stockler pays tribute to the humble playing area with his series of aerial …

Sun and Shadow

The Beautiful Game is even more beautiful when Eduardo Galeano is writing about it. Better known for his political works, Galeano endears himself to me through his fabulous football book ‘Soccer in Sun and Shadow’. It’s perfect subway reading with each piece rarely longer than two pages and covering some of the most magical and …

Those Feet: A Sensual History of English Football

Having watched yet another highly depressing England world cup defeat at the hands of silky skilled Continentals, I am tempted to throw my hands to the heavens and scream ‘Why, oh Lord, why can we never play with style and grace? But I don’t because I’ve just finished David Winner’s excellent book ‘Those Feet: A …