Today I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Football, She Wrote. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to the publisher for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

From the doyenne of football writing Julie Welch’s brilliantly illuminating story of the first women’s international match after a 50-year ban to the madcap tale of two black radio rookies in China… From the trials of covering the soap opera that is Newcastle United to the glamour of establishing Real Madrid TV… From the making of the magnificent Emma Hayes to the equally amazing Mums United FC… FOOTBALL, SHE WROTE is a first: a unique collection of 20 women’s voices on the game they love. Penned by a group of experienced and new writers, and embracing memoirs, profiles, interviews and talking points taking in sexuality, diversity and inclusion, it is an anthology to make you think and feel, laugh and cry.

Contributors: Kehinde Adeogun, Isabelle Barker, Kate Battersby, Alison Bender, Jade Craddock, Hayley Davinson, Molly Hudson, Tracy Light, Renuka Odedra, Fadumo Olow, Katie Mishner, Christina Philippou, Jane Purdon, Ali Rampling, Louise Taylor, Julie Welch, Julia West, Cassie Whittell, Katie Whyatt and Suzanne Wrack.

Review:

I absolutely loved this book! Aside from reading, football is my second passion (even on days like today when my team make it difficult for me!) and this book brings together a group of women, who feel the same way as me, having got to this point through a variety of different paths. The writers who contributed to this collection are all incredibly talented and I was often in awe at the way they could put into words how I feel when I attend a football match and describe some of the ways football has helped me throughout my life. 

Being an anthology written by women, it was inevitable that some of the pieces in Football, She Wrote would focus on women’s football. It is to my shame that I don’t follow women’s football particularly closely, so I was fascinated to read about its history and some of the issues that female footballers have faced on their journey. Having read this anthology, I have resolved to take more interest in women’s football. 

Football, She Wrote highlights the need for football to be inclusive and there are chapters that focus on the LGBTQ community, the disability community, ethnic minorities and grass roots football. At times, it was heartbreaking to read how women in these groups have struggled to find acceptance, but it is interesting to read the ways in which football is catching up. Some of the chapters in the anthology focus on individuals who have been involved campaigning around these issues and their stories are truly amazing. 

Every one of the pieces in Football, She Wrote touched me or resonated with me in some way. It is rare with an anthology that I finish reading being able to remember every single piece of writing, but this is the case here and I will be thinking about some of the messages in it for a long time. 

Football, She Wrote is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: