Terrace Heroes: The Life and Times of the 1930s Professional Footballer

by Graham Kelly

Overview

The 1930s saw the birth of the football idol - prototype for today's powerful media sport stars.
The players of the 1930s were the first generation of professionals, yet until recently the life and careers of footballers of this generation has been little studied. 

In 1930s Britain, football became increasingly commercialized, and the rise and development of both local and national media enabled players to become widely recognized outside of their immediate local context for the first time.

Tracing the origins, playing careers and 'afterlives' of several First Division players of the era, Graham Kelly's revealing history explores the reality of living in Britain between the wars and draws interesting comparisons with lives of the modern football hero today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781135762520
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/10/2004
Series:	Sport in the Global Society
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	186
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Graham Kelly is currently Head of the Department of Management at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. He has published extensively in the management development field and has worked in three university business schools leading the development of undergraduate and postgraduate management course and undertaking consultancy assignments with a wide range of national and international companies.
He has watched mainly amateur and non-league football throughout his life and collects football memorabilia, including the Topical Times cards featured in this book. He is a keen supporter of Conference club, Southport, and hopes one day to see them rejoin the Football League.

Table of Contents

1. Professional footballers as 'terrace heroes' 2. The career path of professional footballers 3. Footballers as employees 4. Directors, managers, trainers and coaches 5. Footballers' lifestyles 6. Footballers and the media 7. Jack Atkinson - Bolton Wanderers 8. Bob Baxter - Middlesbrough 9. Harry Betmead - Grimsby Town 10. Jack Crayston - Arsenal 11. Billy Dale - Manchester City and Ipswich Town 12. Jock Dodds - Sheffield United and Blackpool 13. Harold Hobbis - Charlton Athletic 14. Joe Mercer - Everton 15. Cliff Parker - Portsmouth 16. Bert Sproston - Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City 17. Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

'This is a useful work, which adds to our knowledge of what it was like to be a footballer during the 1930s' - Ian Nannestad, Soccer History issue 12, 2005

From the Publisher