Millions and millions of people watch English football each and every week. Most prefer Barclay’s Premier League and the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal. Others might enjoy the intimacy of a Non-League club. Take all of those fans around the world that bought a share of Ebbsfleet United, a team now slated for relegation. What is missing is an exhaustive, intense history of the English game.
Our prayers has been answered. Football Nation: Sixty Years of the Beautiful Game by Andrew Ward and John Williams will soon be available for purchase. It is part history lesson, part story-telling. Over 400 pages are dedicated to English football, from its humble beginnings to the billions invested in today’s Premier League.
It gives you a new perspective on the origin of football and how far it has come. It goes beyond your standard match reports to the locker and board rooms, where decisions were made. Content also comes from fans in the stands, their homes, and at their favorite pubs. Controversial issues like hooliganism are handled with great professionalism.
The text does a great job discussing the rise and fall of lesser-known clubs, even those now involved in Non-League play. The book best describes the relationships fostered by the beautiful game. The authors say it best.
“The heart and soul of football lies in the relationships it generates. Football is not simply all about a ball; it is about the relationships that the ball provokes. Player and player. Spectator and player. Brother and brother. Father and son. Spectator and rival spectator. Player and manager. Journalist and reader. Player and God. Us and Them. The list is endless.”
Football in England can be described as reliable.It has been there in good times and bad, through times of war and peace. It is accessible by anyone, rich or poor, educated or not. This is a charming, yet informative text that is worth a look during the Premier League offseason.
