On the surface of it glamour girl Charly Metcalfe finally has it all. She's officially a W.A.G, having bagged premiership footballer Joel Baldy to be her boyfriend - and she has the lifestyle to go along with the title. She lives in a million-pound penthouse. She gets invited to the most glamorous parties, and Joel will buy her anything she wants. But behind closed doors, life as a footballer's other half isn't as perfect as it seems. Joel has a temper and when he and Charly argue he lets his fists do the talking. Charly knows she should get out but there's one problem...she loves him. In fact she loves him enough to marry him in spite of their problems - and her own family's objections. But having married in haste, is Charly going to regret her decision all too quickly...?

How to be a Footballer's Wife covers every important lifestyle choice you need to make and is the complete guide to getting (and staying) at the top of your game. Footballer's Wife Tania Turner talks exclusively about the right designer looks, what shape your pool should be, the pros and cons of hosting your own celeb charity function, plus how to spin negative press, pretending to have a career, accessorising with baby and what to do if your man starts playing away from home.

Money, cars, homes, holidays, parties and all the shoes you've ever dreamed of. The life of a footballer's wife or girlfriend must be as glamorous and exciting as her other half, right? But behind the closed doors of the WAG's world, there are all the pressures as well as pleasures of success. So what is it really like? The Secret WAG lays bare the reality of existence under the celebrity spotlight. It is about fashion and fame, sex and scandal, but, like the bestselling Secret Footballer books, is also an honest appraisal of life on and off the field of play which will change your preconceptions about footballers and their partners. It is sassy, outspoken, funny and above all, written from the heart. Meet The Secret WAG.

When Agnes Docherty passed away she left strict instructions for her son, asking him to publish her memoir and reveal the truth about her marriage to one of soccer's most colorful and controversial characters, Tom Docherty, the manager of Manchester United. Agnes was married to Tom Docherty for over 27 years and they had four children before she learned of her husband's affair with Mary Brown, the wife of the club's physiotherapist. Tom sold the information to the Sunday People for GBP 25,000 before telling Agnes by telephone the following afternoon after the story had broken. The affair cost Tom his job as the manager of arguable the most famous soccer team in the world. From the very beginning Agnes battled to balance her family life and their initial poverty with unwavering loyalty that helped her husband, both as a player and then as manager, to ultimately reach the pinnacle of his cut-throat profession. Pregnancies and a miscarriage, fractured legs and broken dreams, major surgery and four FA Cup Finals, relegations and promotions, from Morris Minor to Mercedes Benz, pawn shops to private yachts, Agnes and Tom's marriage had seen them ride a rollercoaster through life. Including tales of Tom Finney, Bill Shankly, Matt Busby, George Graham, and Terry Venables, Best, Law and Charlton plus many more, Agnes paints a unique portrait of life as an athlete's wife. A truly touching love story that ended in disbelief, divorce, and debt. The story of a remarkable life and a remarkable woman.

Representing a detailed analysis of footballers' wives and their role in contemporary British culture, this books explores how the generic and stereotypical 'Wag' has been created by newspaper and magazine coverage, auto/biographies and influential television programmes.

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER 'A lacerating account ... painful but necessary' EVENING STANDARD 'Beautiful & significant ... Tackles grief with honesty' DAWN FRENCH 'Very important and moving book' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL 'A searingly honest book. So much of Rio's emotional turmoil and deep loss resonated with me. At the same time I loved his message of hope' GLORIA HUNNIFORD 'Rio's courageous story of life, loss, grief and hope' PRIMA CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE, 'Best of the Celebrity Crop' 'Tender, heartbreaking ... An extraordinary and unforgettable book. *****' HEAT * * * * * * 'When Rebecca died, the idea that one day I might begin to feel better would have struck me as laughable ... I know how persuasive this kind of permanence thinking can be. I know too that anyone locked in its grip will laugh if I promise them that their pain will one day ease. It will. Of course it will. But I know better than to expect anyone to believe me.' In 2015, former England football star Rio Ferdinand suddenly and tragically lost his wife and soulmate Rebecca, aged 34, to cancer. It was a profound shock and Rio found himself struggling to cope not just with the pain of his grief, but also with his new role as both mum and dad to their three young children. Rio's BBC1 documentary, Being Mum and Dad, touched everyone who watched it and won huge praise for the honesty and bravery he showed in talking about his emotions and experiences. His book now shares the story of meeting, marrying and losing Rebecca, his own and the family's grief - as well as the advice and support that get him through each day as they strive to piece themselves back together. Thinking Out Loud is written in the hope that he can inspire others struggling with loss and grief to find the help they need through this most difficult of times.

Chris Spielman, an Ohio State football legend and a four-time NFL Pro Bowl linebacker, didn't tackle his toughest opponent until his playing career was almost over. In 1998, Spielman's wife, Stefanie, was diagnosed with breast cancer, launching an eleven-year journey that brought joy and suffering to the Spielmans and hope and inspiration to thousands of others. In That's Why I'm Here, Spielman traces his storied career, recalls his courtship with Stephanie, cherishes the growth of their four children, and invokes the deep, spiritual faith that gave their family wisdom and comfort in times of struggle. Though Stefanie passed away on November 19, 2009, her memory and inspiration live on. With laughter and tears, joy and heartbreak, That's Why I'm Here will show you the healing power of: What it truly means to love your spouse in sickness and in health The importance of honoring the caregivers in our communities Facing the unknown with grace, strength, and hope Praise for That's Why I'm Here: "Consider this book a guide for selfless giving. Many aspire to live in such fashion, but few demonstrate it so openly and naturally in day-to-day living as Chris and Stefanie did . . . Knowing Stefanie and Chris has enriched my life. For me, just to be in their presence and to see how they conducted themselves gives me hope and inspiration whenever I encounter the adversity and uncertainty of life and come face-to-face with my own demons." --Charles L. Shapiro, MD, Mount Sinai

This multivolume set is much more than a collection of essays on sports and sporting cultures from around the world: it also details how and why sports are played wherever they exist, and examines key charismatic athletes from around the world who have transcended their sports. Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice provides a unique, global overview of sports and sports cultures. Unlike most works of this type, this book provides both essays that examine general topics, such as globalization and sport, international relations and sport, and tourism and sport, as well as essays on sports history, culture, and practice in world regions—for example, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and Oceania—in order to provide a more global perspective. These essays are followed by entries on specific sports, world athletes, stadiums and arenas, famous games and matches, and major controversies. Spanning topics as varied as modern professional cycling to the fictional movie Rocky to the deadly ball game of the ancient Mayans, the first three volumes contain overview essays and entries for specific sports that have been and are currently practiced around the world. The fourth volume provides a compendium of information on the winners of major sporting competitions from around the world. Readers will gain invaluable insights into how sports have been enjoyed throughout all of human culture, and more fully comprehend their cultural contexts. The entries provide suggestions for further reading on each topic—helpful to general readers, students with school projects, university students and academics alike. Additionally, the four-volume Sports Around the World spotlights key charismatic athletes who have changed a sport or become more than just an outstanding player.

An ordinary girl thrown into an extraordinary life . . . England have made it to the World Cup in Spain and Damien can't wait to see his friends playing for their country. But a last-minute injury means he may get to do more than just watch. His seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Amy, has been trying to get her life back on track, but when a Spanish summer is calling, what\'s a WAG to do . . . ?

In a world where so many books by and about footballers are little more than bland PR exercises, Full Time breaks the mould decisively. Stripping away the facade of what we think life must be like for an international football star, Paul Kimmage reveals a different story when it comes to Irish footballer Tony Cascarino. Scarred by his childhood, haunted by indiscretion and troubled by a secret from his past, Cascarino is struggling to find answers as he speeds towards the most terrifying juncture in sport: the end. As Cascarino opens up about his fears,crippling loss of confidence and sexual indiscretion, no wonder TheTimes voted it one of the Top Ten football books of all time, and Eamon Dunply said of it: 'If it were fiction this book could win the Booker Prize.'