There is a general consensus amongst the football community that the game is losing its soul - as if the very fabric of the sport has changed irrevocably for the worse. Many commentators appear to view this malaise in the context of the professional game, arguing that tradition and heritage have been compromised by speculators looking to turn football into a business and supporters into consumers. Given there are 1,600 non league teams in the National League System (the first seven levels of the pyramid structure which sits directly below the Football League) talk of the ‘national game’ in the context of a handful of professional sides seems somewhat folly.

 Over the course of the 2009-10 season the author embarks on a journey around the country taking in various non league games, in an attempt to document the thoughts and motivations of those who aren’t part of football’s financial revolution. Taking a light hearted yet informative 'diary of a season' approach, the book aims to review the trials and tribulations of non league football and its role in a sport dominated by an elite few. Woven into this is a study of wider contemporary issues, such as London APSA - the country’s leading semi-professional Asian team - through to AFC Liverpool - the fan owned club started as an alternative for supporters priced out of top flight football.

 Is football still the people’s game? This book delves beneath the surface to find out.

ISBN 978-0-9563238-3-5
218 pages
RRP £14.99

All of the author's proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Cancer Research, in memory of Tony Kempster.