Product Description
A Seat in the Crowd is about travelling the length andbreadth of England and Europe to watch Manchester United. It is aboutthe lifelong journey of two supporters (with the help of one or twofriends along the way) who have been following their club for over 40years each.

Back in the days when we both started watching football, a seat in thecrowd was for the gentry and not the likes of the two of us. Nowadayswe are all expected to sit in the crowd, although some of us stilllike to stand! It can get confusing when we are expected to sit downin the Stands and only stand on the terraces. But there are no moreterraces in the Premiership to stand on, so we stand in the Stands infront of our seats instead - when we are allowed to that is!A Seatin the Crowd is about travelling the length and breadth of Englandand Europe to watch Manchester United. It is about the lifelongjourney of two supporters (with the help of one or two friends alongthe way) who have been following their club for over 40 years each.

At the start of any season no-one can possibly know theoutcome. Plenty think they do, but that is mere blind faith. It is anadventure which happens every year and these last few years have beenvery special to United supporters and most especially to us, due tothe superb management of Alex Ferguson, who has taken the team, andconsequently us too, to heights never before scaled.

This book represents a whole season, the season 1999-2000 seen fromour viewpoint as fans. It contains not simply accounts of games andexperiences relating to the games themselves, but also includescomment on all the major issues affecting football fans today from theviewpoint of match-going fans.Not the middle-class Nick Hornby, northe "lads" getting drunk and involved in violence, but ordinary fanswhose experience mirrors that of thousands of football fans all overthe UK. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Page Turner
This is a superb book.I couldn't put it down.Extremely well writtenand a must have for anyone interested in football from the fans point ofview.

Finally, a view not biased by finance
I can't recommend this book stronger.For Manchester United fans it's theopportunity to follow a year with the side from the untainted by the PLCview of the supporter.For Reds abroad, it serves as the perfect reminderof home.For non-United or those not football supporters it's a chance tounderstand what we go through.Well written and personal, Paul and Lindahave created a book you'll want to dip into time and time again. ... Read more

Product Description
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Mark, center for his middle school's soccer team the Scorpions, must cope with his parents' divorce and a teammate who holds a grudge against him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Dear reader
I really liked the book. It gives excellent tips on soccer. The tips come from a little boy that comes from England to America. The little boy's name is Mark. And his parents are getting divorced and he comes from England and moves to America to live with his grandparents. This book is great it shows you how the little boy over came his challenges. I like how he doesn't let any of the kids on the team get to him because he has to live with his grandparents. This is a great book. I suggest it for any reader.

The Comeback Challenge was Great!
I thought that The Comeback Challenge was great. Mark, who was on the scorpions team, was angry that his parents, who kept on fighting, and they each wanted him to live with him or her, because they were getting a divorce. Currently, he had to live with his grandparents, until it was settled. Also, the team captain Lance, didn't really like Mark that much. At the end Mark stays with his grandparents another year. Mark was the one to tell the judge that. Also at the end the problem with Lance was solved, and Mark was elected captain for the next soccer season. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is more than just a common session guide or book of drills. It expands on why you choose a drill, how you will use it and what you will coach. This book is coach education. Use all the other drill books and session plans you want but without reading this book you will not know what you are trying to coach, why, and how. It will question your thoughts and help you learn and develop as a coach.If you are a parent taking up the reigns of a new team or a Level 1 coach this book is for you. As you read through you will understand more about what coaching your players really is and means. It is the first book you should read and the one book you should keep by your side. It is written to help you and all grassroots coaches to coach.Richard Seedhouse is an FA tutor holding the UEFA B (Level3) Coaching Licence and the Level 2 goalkeeping Coaching Certificate. He is an FA Centre of Excellence coach with Coventry City Ladies and has coached the youth team at Nuneaton Borough FC. Richard maintains his grassroots links as the Football Development Officer at Coundon Court FC, recent winners of the FA Charter Standard Development Club of the Year award for the Midlands Region.Testimonies"The prompting of questions and challenging the coach to design progressions and sessions will fit in with current work around coach development and education" Andy Poole, UEFA A Licence coach and the FA Regional Coach Development Manager, talking about how the book can help Trevor Brooking and the FA's new initiative on coach development."Whenever we take on any new Level 1 coach at our sports centre I will make sure they know about this book and recommend they read it"Terry Harvey, UEFA B coach and Sports Centre Manager."I have read many coaching manuals which show how to set up, organise and the key points to look for. However, this book shows what the coach can do to improve or improvise the sessions. Excellent for coaches just starting out on their coaching career"David Busst, UEFA A Licence coach, Coventry City FC Football Coaching in the Community Manager."Easy to read and with a logical approach this book will give the coach the confidence to get involved with their players and actually begin to coach them"Michelle Hickmott, Level 2 Coach and England Ladies International at U21 and U23 and Birmingham City Ladies FC in the Premier League."I read this book just before my level 2 course and found it a great help as it actually talked about coaching the player's the same specific points as coached on the course"Ty Power, Level 1 coach currently taking the level 2 coaching certificate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good introductory book
I'd recommend this as a good introductory book for new coaches, particularly anyone who has not played the game and is looking for help on teaching technique. It's a nice, concise introduction to coaching fundamental soccer techniques. I like how it covers some key technical points, especially on 1v1 attacking that is rarely spelled out in other books.

This book doesn't cover tactics, formations or strategy so you'll need to look elsewhere. But that's what I like about it: its singular focus on one subject - technique, the foundation of soccer. ... Read more

Product Description

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, outdoor soccer was the second most popular organised sport for Australian children after swimming. It far outstripped the popularity of the three other football codes that are played in Australia- rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules football.

Yet the soccer participation phenomenon in Australia is matched neither by the media coverage of the game in these countries, nor by the academic interest in the game. With a few notable exceptions in academic sports history, the game of soccer remains understudied in comparison with the other football codes. And, apart from some interest that is generated by World Cup campaigns, the media coverage of soccer is largely marginalised, and becomes most emphasised when reporting on aspects of ‘hooligan’ crowd behaviour.

This book investigates some of the ways that soccer has been maintained as marginal to Australian identity, and why the sport remains vitally important to some marginalised groups within these communities.

This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Old, but good
This book was first published in 1973, but remarkably little has changed from a technical or tactical standpoint in the time between now and then.This book provides the basis and terminology for all of the USSF licensing courses (yes, we copied the English).Another benefit is that it contains very clear diagrams of both correct and incorrect positions (placed side by side for comparison) in areas of discussion which include, but are not limited to: creating space, support in attack, passing, shooting, defending and attacking at set pieces, and goalkeeping.The book does include some activities for use in training sessions, but if you are looking for a drill book, this is not the one to buy.Having said that, however, I highly recommend this book, as it is an excellent primer and resource on coaching tactics.It is written in such a way as to be applicable to any team that plays 11 a side (although many of the concepts are applicable to any team because they are emphasized in a small sided setting such as 2 v. 1), and can be understood easily by any coach from novice to expert. ... Read more

Product Description
The essential illustrated guide to soccer, charting more than 100 years of the game worldwide: the teams, the triumphs, the tragedies of the world's number-one sport. This popular encyclopedia has been updated for 2009 to provide a contemporary profile of the beautiful game. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A MUST for all lovers of the Beautiful Game!
This review is being written because I turned to Amazon to find an updated version since the 2004 edition. Alas, no such luck. Tom MacDonald and his editorial team deserve highest accolades for producing such a terrific reference. Too bad this isn't an annual or bi-annual publication; it definitely should be. Golazo!

The beautiful game is all of its glory
Who created the game of 'football'? What club did Pele play for from the 50s to the 70s? Who captained the 1986 World Cup champions? You'll find all the answers and more in this book... I got this one for a present and I use it everytime I need some info. It is full of colorful pictures such as Bobby Moore hoisted on his teammates shoulders with the Cup after winning England's first and only. It gives you a decade by decade look at soccer, player profiles, a look at the glorious soccer stadiums, soccer riots and well noted dates in soccer history (like the USA defeating England in 1950). This is a great book to have and I love to test my English friend on the titbits (and she knows everything). I am also impressed how the writer does not favor anyone in the book. He states the strengths and weaknesses of each country respectively. It is a book every die hard fan should have. ... Read more

Product Description
A PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

A games-based alternative to tedious rote exercises, guaranteed to keep practices fun, engaging, and productive

Great Soccer Drills provides soccer coaches with a great way to make every soccer practice active, fun, and productive. Coaches get 125 games guaranteed to keep kids moving and excited while teaching them basic skills, sharpening their reflexes, and building their confidence and decision-making ability. Written by two of North America's foremost names in youth soccer coaching, it also includes guidelines on how to create just the right blend of drills to hold the attention of six- to twelve-year-old players.

Great Soccer Drills can be used in conjunction with the bestselling Coaching Youth Soccer: A Baffled Parent's Guide or as an excellent stand-alone resource for spicing up any practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Love this book!
I started coaching soccer last year with no idea where to begin. This book was a blessing to me and to my players. We were able to put together a winning season, but most importantly, the players had fun, were not bored and they learned alot.

A good manual for ideas
This book has proved a valuable resource for getting our U10 soccer team going.It provides numerous drills that are at once fun for the kids (8 & 9 year olds still play mostly for fun), and also effective at building skills.Used in conjunction with The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer, it can provide a basic set of plans for any level of soccer play up to about U16.

Great Resource
I am a USSF National "D" license coach who also recently took the USYSA National Youth License Course. This book is an excellent resource and mirrored many of the things that were taught in the course. Don't let the title fool you; it is about teaching soccer through games and fun activities. I used it to supplement my training sessions at the U-9 competitve level here in Florida for my team and we had great success.I would recommend this book to anyone, including rec and competitive coaches for U-12 and below, especially. We are working on getting every coach in our club one of these books as well.

Perfect resource for efficient, age-appropriate training.
I'm an "A" Licensed coach who recently took the USSF National Youth License.This book was recommended by them.The course was excellent and this book, written by the same people who wrote the curriculum for the NYL, is a mirror-image.I found this such a great resource, I purchased one for every coach in my club.

Essential reading for any "baffled" parent...
While reading, Great Soccer Drills : The Baffled Parent's Guide by Thomas Fleck, I partiticipated as an assistant Soccer Coach on my son's team. I was familiar with his coach from a prior experience and knew this particular coach was difficult to communicate with. Shortly after beginning the practice season I was able to use Mr. Flecks book to identify some troubling aspects of our bi-weekly soccer practices. Our youth soccer league had endorsed the sort of "small sided" games illustrated in the book, however the teams coach would insist on using complicated drills for an older age group. The result was a group of young boys overwhelmed by the complicated drills who would then be subjected to repeated "stomach crunches" for not listening or following the drills. By reading the book, I was able to see that this situation bordered on abuse and I withdrew my child from that particular practice and team situation. My whole family is greatful for the thoughtful and "child centered" approach to coaching youth soccer presented in this very informative guide. ... Read more

Product Description
Soccer is the number-one spectator sport in the world, and its popularity in the United States has been steadily growing for many years. Spurred on by the launch of the first women's professional soccer league, more and more young women are testing their skills on the soccer field. This volume offers a wealth of information about understanding and improving one's game. Each chapter covers a different element of play, details the required skills and offers drills for development. A glossary allows readers to better understand the terms related to the sport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book is great!
This book is the perfect guide for girls who have been playing soccer for years, or who are just learning to play (like me.) The pictures helpto show the different positions, drills, & techniques, and it's written ina way that everyone can understand. Highly recomended! ... Read more

Product Description

The Cameroon Indomitable Lions soccer team has much to be proud of. Touted as the best African soccer team of the twentieth century, ten of its players have won Player of the Year awards. In addition, the team has participated in:

• Sixty-one Africa Nations Cup games, four of them in the championship game
• Five World Cup Soccer Championships
• Seventeen World Cup games
• Eight Confederations Cup games
• Nine Olympic games matches
• Two Afro-Asian Cup games

Passionate soccer analyst Raphael Ebanga-Mballa recaps all of these accomplishments and more in this fascinating book. With an amazing attention to detail, he shares more than fifty years of success, including discussions on the team’s victories and defeats, as well as anecdotes and testimonials

Reflecting meticulous research, The Lion’s Share also contains an astonishing amount of data on teams and players. Soccer fans will find much to appreciate about Cameroon’s leading team, including greats such as Roger Milla, Thomas Nkono, and Samuel Eto’o.

The Lion’s Share is a moving tribute to Africa’s most successful soccer team, a perfect companion for fans and players alike.

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Customer Reviews (2)

A Sports Lovers Dream Book ! !
If your daughter loves sports she will love this book !My 6th grade twin daughters and their friends have read the book numerous times and loved it.

In this day and age it is hard to find good sports books for girls.This one is awesome!The book has great sports action.It also has wonderful, real, school kid situations, stories and dialogue.The fast paced conversations between Tess and her friends are funny, witty and sounds like real kids do today.

I think the School Library Journal and BookList reviews hit it right on the head.It is a great book that teaches kids lessons in life about perserverance, fighting for good causes and how to get involved in issues that affect the community, like getting a levy passed.

There is lots of good sports for the girl athletes, but every girl, jock or not, can learn lessons about standing up for your rights and working together with others for the good of all.

I'd give this book TEN STARS if Amazon would let me!

Gratuitous sexual references
We bought this book as a gift for our fifth-grade daughter who is a soccer fanatic. The publisher reviews indicated that the audience was "girl-jocks" and that the book sends an important message to any girl with a passion or a cause. When we received the book, we flipped through it and it seemed okay. Then, when I was about to wrap the gift, I happened to flip open to Chapter 11 which spends a few pages describing Tess's classmates' Halloween costumes -- pushup-bra wearing/belly baring/barely dressed angels; a mammogram machine with instructions; someone with condoms stuck to his sweats. The Halloween discussion was supposed to be funny, I suppose, but there wasn't any point, and it's not something my soccer-loving daughter needs to read right now. And it certainly didn't add to any "important message." There may be other such references in the book, but I didn't check. We're sending the book back. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the most detailed, expansive and comprehensive guide to sports colleges and sports scholarships.Listing over 1780 academic and athletic programs to assist users with finding a college or university that will fit their academic, athletic, financial and geographic needs all in one place.

If you are serious about going to college, this is the guide for you. You can access information about each collegiate program including the coaches name, address, phone, fax, email and scholarships available. Learn about the history of the program, current roster of players and positions needed for 2002-2003.Interested in the types of degrees conferred?This is the source to answer your questions and help you find a program that meets your needs. ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing a breakthrough approach to creating team excellence

In Coaching Women's Soccer, Ian Stokell, an expert with 35 years of experience playing and coaching soccer, presents a revolutionary coaching paradigm that is sure to find mass appeal among the thousands of new and established women's soccer coaches throughout North America.

The "freegame" approach Stokell advocates is based on the belief that drill-based coaching methods, adapted from other U.S. team sports, have no place in soccer, where ideally the game is the teacher, and players mainly learn from one another. According to Stokell, players dominated by an autocratic coach and forced to spend most of their time drilling never develop the on-field decision-making skills, sense of teamwork, or spontaneity needed to excel.

Stokell provides a tested-in-the-trenches strategy to bring the game back into practice. In place of traditional drills, he teaches freegame restrictions and small-sided games--exercises that allow players to freely work on specific aspects of the game. ... Read more

Product Description
The night before Lena’s first soccer game of the season, her father, Ruben Drinkwater, tells her the amazing story of his own first season playing soccer. His mom was like any ordinary parent watching the Atomic Pickles play. But soon, she began to act very differently–she started to look like a pickle, and she started to roar in a very loud voice when the team was scoring goals. In fact, she turned into an alien! Ruben spied on her at home, but she seemed to turn into an alien only during soccer games. Finally, he confronted her and asked her to act like all the other parents. That’s when they discovered how much Mrs. Drinkwater’s cheering meant to the team–especially to the parents, who took up where her cheerleading left off and renewed the whole team’s spirit for the game.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Courtesy of Kids @ Teens Read Too
We've all seen them, heard them, possibly been them. The mom who yells so loud when Timmy hits a double in Little League that glass shatters a block away. The dad who argues with the referee when innocent little Tina is called for traveling during her elementary school basketball game. It's a known fact that there are parents out there intent on embarrassing their children.

THE SOCCER MOM FROM OUTER SPACE is a father's story to his daughter the night before her first soccer match. The dad recalls the time that HIS mother turned into an alien when he played for the Atomic Pickles: hooting, hollering, and even--oh the horror!, showing up at a match dressed in a giant pickle costume.

Kids and parents will both delight in this humorous, yet true-to-life tale. A word of caution, though. Although THE SOCCER MOM FROM OUTER SPACE has a feel-good ending, I have a feeling most kids would react like my son did, which was by telling me that he'd never talk to me again if I EVER did something like that!

Reviewed by:Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Pokes fun at how heavily involved some parents get
Soccer Mom From Outer Space is a wild and enthusiastic picturebook written and illustrated by Barney Saltzberg that, with whimsical delight, pokes fun at how heavily involved some parents get into their children's games. The night before a young girl plays her first soccer game, her father confesses the true story of the soccer mom from outer space - who became transformed into an alien! Soccer Mom From Outer Space is highly recommended as a joyful, lighthearted, and fun-to-read tale.

A lively, entertaining story.
The soccer mom of this story was an ordinary mother until she attended her son's first match with the Atomic Pickles: there she turned into an alienwho became an embarrassment at games. Readers with good reading skills willrelish this lively story of a wild mother perhaps too supportive of herson. ... Read more

Product Description
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Put yourself into the game, and see how it is played. Learn about the equipment, the rules, and then playing field, and get ready for some fun! ... Read more

Product Description
If you've always wanted to understand one or more of the world's major sports, this definitive viewer's guide is the key to becoming "spectator literate". Dan Bartges, author of the acclaimed "Winter Olympics Made Simple", now focuses on mainstream competition, providing a concise overview of game drama, basic insight into competitive strategy, and a brief historical account of each sport's origin. Bartges's easy-to-read description are made complete with detailed illustrations, informative diagrams, and action photographs. Whether at home or at the arena, in front of the television or in the stadium seats, Spectator Sports Made Simple wil help make watching sports with your family, friends, and colleagues much more enjoyable!. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Removes the mystery from soccer, hockey, etc.
I wish I had had this book during the telecast of the women's soccer championship -- now I know what the commentators should have told me!Bartges's great illustrations and down-to-earth text likewise make theinfathomable rules of ice hockey easy to understand -- I can't wait for theseason to start so that I can test my newly gained expertise.My wife readthe chapter on football and has already watched some exhibition NFL games-- and enjoyed them!

With the proliferation of sporting events ontelevision, this book should be sitting beside every TV set. ... Read more

Product Description

Now unknown or forgotten, influential schoolmasters took the game of association football to many parts of England. They had several roles: they brought the game to individual schools, they established regional and national leagues and associations, and they founded professional football clubs. They also exported the game around the world, working as moral missionaries, passionate players and energetic entrepreneurs. The role of teachers in association football is a much neglected aspect of English cultural history. It is a story that deserves to be told because it allows a fundamental reappraisal of the status and position of these teachers in late nineteenth century and early twentieth century society.

This volume was previously published as a special issue of the journal Soccer and Society.

Product Description
This book offers soccer trainers over a thousand ideas and methods for the whole training year with their soccer team. Soccer expert Jozef Sneyers takes you from the preseason period through the season itself to the following resting period. The training sessions he recommends ensure systematic and successful training. As a soccer expert he reveals a multitude of methods, as an educator he can share useful advice on the leadership of teams. Jef Sneyers knows practical soccer and knows what counts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Over a thousand ideas and methods
This book offers soccer trainers over a thousand ideas and methods for the whole training year with their soccer team. Soccer expert Jozef Sneyers takes you from the pre-season period through the season itself to the following resting period. The trainings sessions he recommends ensure systematic and successful training. As a soccer expert he reveals a multitude of methods, as an educator he can share useful advice on the leadership of teams. Jozef Sneyers knows practical soccer and knows what counts. He writes simply and convincingly without getting bogged down in theory. He does, however, include small, deliberate doses of theory in order to provide sound preparation for training, to carry it out effectively and to draw the right conclusions afterwards. Modifications reflecting trainers own ideas and experience and adapted to their own teams can be applied to the suggested training sessions a desired. The flexibility coupled with an understanding of the structure of the complete annual programme make this book a useful companion to trainers for many years. Even for experienced coaches the book contains a wealth of tips and advice. ... Read more