From French rugby's origins in Le Havre, (as an English export in the late 19th century) to the Catalan coast, acclaimed rugby writer Peter Bills travels the length and breadth of this vast country, visiting not only the big cities, but those regional heartlands of the game such as Toulouse, Bordeaux and Clermont, as well as clubs in the Basque country, to reveal a country whose deep love of rugby has created a culture and playing style like no other....
When cycling commentator Ned Boulting bought a length of Pathe news film featuring a stage of the Tour de France from 1923 he set about learning everything he could about it - taking him on an intriguing journey that encompasses travelogue, history and detective story. In the autumn of 2020 Ned Boulting (ITV head cycling commentator and Tour de France obsessive) bought a length of Pathe news film from a London auction house. All he knew was it was...
Liverpool Football Club is loved by thousands of fans across the United Kingdom and Ireland and its official matchday programme is the most recognisable match publication around. Quite simply, a trip to Anfield wouldn't be the same without it. Through its pages, the official programme of Liverpool Football Club has charted the club's glorious triumphs, painful lows, celebrated its most famous players and managers, and, sadly, been forced to reflect...
One woman. One bike. One world. In 2018, over the course of 18,000 miles, amateur cyclist Jenny Graham smashed the round-the-world cycling record by nearly three weeks, finishing in 124 days and 11 hours. But her real achievement was a new relationship with herself and with the world. Alone and unsupported, Jenny left family and friends behind in Scotland to complete her mission: a solo lap of the planet by bike. Her inspiring story swerves from terrifying...
In the spring of 2021, as the UK's latest pandemic lockdowns were lifted, Nick Butter set out from the Eden Project to become the fastest person to cover every mile of Britain's mainland coastline on foot. Battling the most extreme winds Britain had seen in 100 years, days of torrential rain and the unrelenting hills of Western Scotland and Cornwall, Nick suffered two broken bones and countless injuries, whilst taking on two marathons a day, every...
Football has always measured success by what you win, but only in the last twenty years have clubs started to think about how you win. Data has now suffused almost every aspect of how football is played, coached, scouted and consumed. But it's not the algorithms or new metrics that have made this change, it's the people behind them. This is the story of modern football's great data revolution and the group of curious, entrepreneurial personalities...
LeBron is unquestionably the greatest basketball player of the 21st century. Off the court, LeBron's political activism, outspoken stance on racism and social injustice have helped build a social media presence that includes 117 million followers on Instagram and 51 million followers on Twitter. He is an international brand worth billions of dollars. He doesn't just have huge endorsement deals with some of the biggest corporations in the world; LeBron...
A complete history of women's football, from its Victorian games beginning in 1881, to the plans for England to host the Euro Finals in England 2022. The author demonstrates how women's football began as a professional sport, and has only recently returned to these professional roots in the UK. This is because there was a fifty-year Football Association 'ban' on women playing on pitches affiliated to the governing body in England. The other British...
Working chronologically, Peter Cossins explores the evolution of mountain-climbing. He offers a comprehensive view of the sport, combining contemporary reports with fresh one-to-one interviews with high-profile riders from the last 50 years, such as Cyrille Guimard, Hennie Kuiper and Andy Schleck.
This is the story of the degenerative brain disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). This is a story of power, of science and sport, and of the bodies that society deems worth sacrificing. In 2019, Hana Walker-Brown created The Beautiful Brain, an award-winning podcast about West Bromwich Albion hero Jeff Astle and CTE. This book continues that story, exploring a hidden disease that the powerful don't want you to know about. It uncovers miscarriages...
The Premier League is the most watched sports league in the world, broadcast into 188 countries and watched by 3.2 billion people worldwide. 'Fever Pitch' is a fascinating history of the Premier League, with exclusive material from all the big names involved in its formation. From David Beckham to Eric Cantona and Peter Schmeichel to Gary Neville and everyone in between, this book is full of exclusive interviews that give fascinating insight into...
'A Woman's Game' explores the history of women's football from the Victorian era - with players in high-heeled boots - to the present day. It is the story of a rise, fall, and rise again: from the game's first appearance in England in the late 19th century; through the incredible teams which at their height in 1920 drew 53,000 spectators to Goodison Park; to its 50-year ban in the UK and the aftershocks when that ban was lifted. Now, as the women's...
Go behind the scenes with Eddie 'The Beast' Hall as we follow his incredible journey from World's Strongest Man to competing in 'The Heaviest Boxing Match in History', featuring training diaries, 10 rounds of mental preparation and interviews with famous friends including Ross Edgley, James Haskell, Paddy McGuinness, his family and inner circle. This is Eddie as you have never witnessed him before: 100 per cent authentic, honest and raw.
Phil Burt is one of the team behind the recent British cycling glory at the Olympics, and Team Sky's triumph at the Tour de France. In this book he reveals the secrets of their success on the bike - how he makes sure each bike fits each rider, why this is important, and shows you how to get the best fit on your bike, to get the most from your riding.
Barry Hearn is credited with turning snooker into one of the biggest sports in Britain. He essentially turned a sport in which competitors wear bowties into a massive, globally televised event. Away from the table, his promotions empire casts its net over a dozen sports - from professional boxing to darts, fishing to ten-pin bowling - and his career spans four decades. He also previously owned Leyton Orient football club. Packed with hilarious anecdotes...
On 30th November 1872, England took on Scotland at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow, a match that is regarded as the first international fixture. More than 5000 fans watched the two sides play out a 0-0 draw. It was the first of more than a thousand games played by the side, and the beginning of a national love affair that unites the country in a way that few other events can match. In Hayward's biography of the team, based on interviews with dozens of...
Jordan Henderson, MBE, is one of football's highest-profile players and has captained Liverpool FC since 2015. With the Reds, he has won the Champions League trophy, the Premier League title (marking the first time in 30 years for the club) and, this season, the double win of the FA Cup and League Cup. Here Jordan tells his own story.
