Fantastic Football by Robin Bennett

Everything you need to know about the Beautiful Game from the history to the future. Aimed at eight to twelve year-olds, this non-fiction book is fun to read and explains just about every feature that will appeal to the fact loving geek (who scored from the longest kick) and the player (what is a sweeper). Part of the Stupendous Sports series.

The history points are accurate and are illustrated with comic skill by Matt Cherry. The section on positions is like a game of Top Trumps, with scores for the skills needed. A few of the most famous players are listed, like Pele and Johan Cruyff, rules, types of kicks and how to learn them. It really does cover everything.

Best of all is how the book explains why  football is so popular. With no set roles for players other than the goalkeeper and no rigid pitch dimensions, the game is very accessible. Just as this book is. 

​Recommended for all football fans, including adults who want to know more about national styles and the latest buzzwords in the game. Brilliant stuff.

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Published by Firefly Press on 11 August 2022.
​Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.

​Terrace and Turf: Football Culture