{"title":"Author: Paul Watson","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"around-the-world-in-80-clubs-a-journey-through-the-weird-wacky-and-wonderful-world-of-football","title":"Around the World in 80 Clubs – A Journey Through the Weird, Wacky and Wonderful World of Football","description":"\u003cp\u003eHave you ever heard of the football club founded by ex-KGB officers, the 21-time champions of Moldova?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow about the Vatican Cup, contested by eight clubs made up of clerics, priests and Vatican members, where countless players have ended up in the sin bin?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOr maybe you're more familiar with the Spanish team that actually resides in North Africa?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you're a football hipster or five-a-side novice, join renowned football writer and podcaster Paul Watson for an intrepid guide through the weird, wacky and wonderful world of football. \u003cem\u003eAround the World in 80 Clubs\u003c\/em\u003e takes the reader on a global tour of the beautiful game, from the squirrel-costume wearing fans of Andorra's UE Santa Coloma to the Buddhist monk ultras of Bhutan's Thimphu City, via Greenland's one-week season, through to priestly punch-ups in the Vatican City. This compendium is packed with footballing stories you have never heard of but will never forget.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA book for the football lover, there will be no Manchester United, no Juventus, no Boca Juniors here. Instead, \u003cem\u003eAround the World in 80 Clubs\u003c\/em\u003e is filled with unique stories that have never been told before, shedding a humorous and thrilling light on cultures and communities formed – and sustained – through football.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 142mm x 223mm – 166 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Soccer Books Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57442317238654,"sku":"9781399637886","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/0546\/6903\/files\/AroundTheWorld80Clubs.jpg?v=1779270310"},{"product_id":"up-pohnpei-leading-the-ultimate-football-underdogs-to-glory","title":"Up Pohnpei – Leading the ultimate football underdogs to glory","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter one too many late night discussions, football journalist Paul Watson and his mate Matthew Conrad decide to find the world's worst national team, become naturalised citizens of that country and play for them – achieving their joint boyhood dream of playing international football and winning a 'cap'. They are thrilled when Wikipedia leads them to Pohnpei, a tiny, remote island in the Pacific whose long-defunct football team is described as 'the weakest in the world'. They contact Pohnpei's Football Association and discover what it needs most urgently is leadership. So Paul and Matt travel thousands of miles, leaving behind jobs, families and girlfriends to train a rag-tag bunch of novice footballers who barely understand the rules of the game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUp Pohnpei \u003c\/em\u003etells the story of their quest to coach the team and eventually, organise an international fixture – Pohnpei's first since a 16-1 defeat many years ago. With no funding, a population whose obesity rate is 90 percent and toad-infested facilities in one of the world's wettest climates, their journey is beset by obstacles from the outset. Part travelogue, part quest, Up Pohnpei shows how the passion and determination of two young men can change the face of football – and the lives of total strangers – on the other side of the world. Published in 2013.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 131mm x 198mm – 272 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Soccer Books Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57442414494078,"sku":"9781846685026","price":9.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/0546\/6903\/files\/UpPohnpei.jpg?v=1779271101"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/0546\/6903\/collections\/AroundTheWorld80Clubs.jpg?v=1779271495","url":"https:\/\/soccer-books.co.uk\/collections\/author-paul-watson.oembed","provider":"Soccer Books Limited","version":"1.0","type":"link"}