No other club in women's football can match the record of Olympique Lyonnais Feminin in Europe. They have won six UEFA Champions League titles since the 2010/11 season and hold 19 European records, making them the most successful women's side in the history of the competition. So, what is the secret behind their success? Olympique Lyonnais Feminin: Queens of Europe examines and dissects the tactical concepts that underpin this extraordinary side, breaking down every aspect of play. From match tactics to in-depth player analysis, it lifts the lid on what makes the team tick to discover how they became such a dominant force in Europe. From Ballon d'or winner Ada Hegerberg to record-holding French captain Wendie Renard, the book reveals how this superstar team has pulled together to deliver continual success for over a decade.

This is the first book to take an in-depth look at women’s football in Africa. Exploring the history, contemporary landscape, and future development of the women’s game on the African continent, this book offers an important new perspective on the rise of women’s sport more broadly. This book traces the history of women’s soccer in Africa from its introduction during the period of European colonization and its subsequent ban by colonial authorities, through to the present day period of rapidly increasing spectatorship, rising participation rates, and growing media interest. It reflects on the social obstacles to girls’ participation, including sociocultural and religious barriers, as well as important social issues in football such as homophobia, discrimination, and abuse, and considers why certain countries have dominated African competitions, including Nigeria, Ghana, and, lately, South Africa, Equitorial Guinea, and Cameroon. This book also examines the crucial role played by youth academies, and FIFA’s leadership role, and considers the challenges faced by African players, clubs, and countries on the global stage. This is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in football, sport history, women’s sport, Africa, development studies, or the relationships between sport and wider society.

It is undeniable that Association football is a global game with huge popularity. Yet what is known as 'women's football' receives far less support, financial assistance, media coverage and academic attention than the men's game. Consequently the story of women's football remains largely untold and its potential as a sports-related discussion is yet to be fulfilled. Women, Football and Europe is a collection of essays that contributes new knowledge on women's football. Volume 1 deals with historical aspects of the game, equality issues, and the experiences of those involved, while volume 2 looks at individual topics such as the 2005 UEFA Women's Championships, the pressures and constraints on female coaches, and the key issues affecting the development of the women's game in England and Europe.

Life lessons from the soccer field, from the bestselling author of Strong is the New Pretty. A bruised shin, a bloody nose. Racing across the field into the arms of your teammates. Leaping high to save a goal. Getting up at dawn to kick ball after ball into the net. Making friends for life. Teaching your younger sister how to dribble. Sharing cupcakes at practice on your birthday. Going to sleep in your jersey. That’s what it means to be fearless, dedicated, confident, resilient, proud, persistent. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 3 or 63––that’s what it means to play like a girl. “Kate T. Parker is my hero. She moves me. The whole world she has created moves me.”––Drew Barrymore

Ever wondered which goal Frank Lampard is proudest of, who Jürgen Klopp thinks will manage Liverpool in the future, what Rio Ferdinand thinks of Man United in the post-Ferguson years or exactly how many grey cashmere jumpers Pep Guardiola owns? In this collection of frank and funny conversations between footballers and their biggest fans, these vital questions (and many more) are finally addressed. A Game of Two Halves shows a different side to some of the biggest names in football, reminding us of the common ground we all share. This project is published in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with the goal of raising both funds for and awareness of their work with child refugees. Featuring forewords by Raheem Sterling and Gary Lineker and interviews between Jürgen Klopp & John Bishop Pep Guardiola & Johnny Marr Lucy Bronze & Clare Balding Frank Lampard & Omid Djalili Rio Ferdinand & Rachel Riley Ian Wright & Wretch 32 Héctor Bellerin & Romesh Ranganathan Steven Gerrard & David Morrissey Gary Lineker & Fahd Saleh Eric Dier & David Lammy John McGlynn & Val McDermid Vivianne Miedema & Amy Raphael

There are two kinds of football in France. American football was first played in France in 1909 during the cruise of the Great White Fleet. Then, during World War I, the American military shipped footballs, helmets, and shoulder pads alongside rifles and ammunition to the western front. A 1938 tour of two teams lead by Jim Crowley of Fordham University maintained the game until World War II, when the arrival of millions of young Americans in France motivated the U.S. military to sponsor several bowl games. During the 1950s and 1960s, when the United States occupied bases in France during the Cold War, American soldiers, sailors, and airmen played more than a thousand football games. When France withdrew from NATO, however, American bases were forced to close, leaving American football without a natural home on Gallic shores. In the 1970s American college and semi-pro teams tried once more to generate interest in the game among French nationals through a series of tours, but until a French physical education instructor vacationed in Colorado and brought equipment back to France, there was little local enthusiasm for the sport. On the back of that vacation, and from one team in Paris, organized American football in France grew to more than 215 teams with more than 22,000 active players today. Le Football tackles the struggles and successes of American football in France and discusses how, unlike baseball and basketball, football has never been an overt instrument of American cultural influence. Russ Crawford keeps the chains moving as he shows how the modern, homegrown sport developed largely independent of American encouragement into a small but successful culture.

An insightful and humorous account of the author's first year in Norway as a foreigner. From Easter to summer holidays and Christmas, it dives deeply into Norwegian culture, language and people.

Shortlisted for the Sunday Times Football Book of the Year 2022 'A forensic insight into how our football academies operate. Every angle covered by a splendid author' - Daniel Taylor, The Athletic With unparalleled behind-the-scenes access to academies at all levels of English football, The Dream Factory: Inside the Make-or-Break World of Football's Academies is a journey deep into the heart of youth football, revealing in gripping detail how home-grown Premier League stars such as Marcus Rashford and Trent Alexander-Arnold are created, and at what cost. The Dream Factory introduces a rich array of characters – players, coaches, directors – behind talent production lines at several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City, zooming in on the stories of Alexander-Arnold's unique development, how Rashford's sense of social responsibility was nurtured, and how Phil Foden has become a beacon to City's young hopefuls.

This book is both a lesson in true grit and determination, but its goal is one that is attainable. Andy isn't a sporting superstar, he holds down a 9-5 job and all the pressures that go with it; he isn't blessed with speed and talent; there are no multi-million pound sponsorship deals; yet this remarkable "common man" is inspiring in a way that some of today's sporting superstars have forgotten how to be. You wouldn't recognize Andy in the street, yet his story provides valuable lessons to us all: "Never give up" and "Anything is possible." Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run follows Andy Holgate's epic journey from being an overweight librarian to an Ironman triathlete. Before he could even begin the rollercoaster ride which amassed more punctures than Andy cares to remember, this would-be Superman had first to buy a second-hand bike and take swimming lessons. Along the way, he ended up in hospital, dealt with family crises, encountered crocodiles and deadly amoebas, and persuaded his friends that doing an Ironman event is what normal people do on their stag weekend. This is the inspirational, amusing and moving story of how one normal bloke learnt how to fall off a bike and not injure himself, to run a marathon despite two dodgy knees, and most importantly how not to drown.

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS* Eni Aluko: 102 appearances for England women's national football team. First female pundit on Match of the Day. UN Women UK ambassador. Guardian columnist. First class honors law degree. Now an inspirational author. They Don't Teach This steps beyond the realms of memoir to explore themes of dual nationality and identity, race and institutional prejudice, success, failure and faith. It is an inspiring manifesto to change the way readers and the future generation choose to view the challenges that come in their life applying life lessons with raw truths of Eni's own personal experience. 'A fascinating examination of her multiple identities - British and Nigerian, a girl in a boy's world, footballer and academic, a kid from an estate with upper-middle-class parents, a God-fearing rebel... Aluko does not hold back - and few people from the football establishment emerge with their reputation intact' Guardian