Under the Lights and In the Dark


Book Description

Under the Lights and in the Dark: Untold Stories of Women's Soccer takes an unprecedented look inside the lives of professional football players around the world – from precarious positions in underfunded teams and leagues, to sold-out stadiums and bright lights. Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Gwendolyn Oxenham tells the stories of the phenoms, underdogs, and nobodies – players willing to follow the game wherever it takes them. Under the Lights and in the Dark takes us inside the world of women's soccer, following players across the globe, from Portland Thorns star Allie Long, who trains in an underground men's league in New York City; to English national Fara Williams, who hid her homelessness from her teammates while playing for the English national team. Oxenham takes us to Voronezh, Russia, where players battle more than just snowy pitches in pursuing their dream of playing pro, and to a refugee camp in Denmark, where Nadia Nadim, now a Danish international star, honed her skills after her family fled from the Taliban. Whether you're a newcomer to the sport or a die-hard fan, this is an inspiring book about stars' beginnings and adventures, struggles and hardship, and, above all, the time-honored romance of the game.







The Making of the Women's World Cup


Book Description

With a foreword by England legend Kelly Smith, the country's all-time record goalscorer and a player widely considered one of the best to have played the game. The exciting story of one of the fastest growing sports in the world, played by over 30 million girls and women. Over 25 million people tuned in for the Americans' 2015 Women's World Cup final victory - the most-watched football match in United States history. The Making of the Women's World Cup details the most incredible tales from previous Women's World Cups, including: Carli Lloyd's 13-minute hat trick and the worldwide movement set off by 2015 How Japan made their country smile for the first time since the devastating tsunami The USA's World Cup triumph on home soil in 1999 Germany's back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2007 Marta's magic: The birth of a Brazilian icon How Kelly Smith announced her arrival with the kiss of a boot The beginnings of Australia's golden generation The 122nd-minute USA equalizer against Brazil: the quarterfinal that changed everything The dawn of the Lionesses: England joins world elite through tears of joy and despair




The Official History of the Fifa World Cup(tm)


Book Description

The Official History of the FIFA World Cup Book is an authoritative and comprehensive review of the 20 FIFA World Cups to have taken place since the inaugural tournament in 1930. Packed with stunning photography, exclusive interviews of the biggest stars of each edition, unique official documents and statistics, it is a must read for any football fan around the world. No other event in the sporting world can rival the glamour, impact, fervent following and universal appeal of the FIFA World Cup. This unique book tells the stories behind the scenes, as well as analyzing the most famous incidents. It features the biggest stars and many previously unknown ones too, all with a unique worldwide point of view.




World Cup Women


Book Description

This is the illustrated story of 23 soccer players who worked together to become World Cup champions and heroes to millions of men, women, boys, and girls across America and around the world. In July 2019, a record number of people all around the world tuned in to watch the Women's World Cup, which took place in France. Fifty-two games, twenty-four teams, four weeks . . . one winner. Megan Rapinoe had waited for this day since she attended a World Cup game as a teenager, and Alex Morgan had set her sights on a World Cup victory of her own as she watched Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Team USA win in 1999. Years of hard work, determination, and practice put Megan, Alex, and their teammates in the perfect position, and they took full advantage. Rose Lavelle, Tobin Heath, Alyssa Naeher, Crystal Dunn, Ali Krieger, Julie Ertz, Carli Lloyd, and the rest of the US Women's National Team returned home from France with the title, the trophy, and their nation's pride, becoming the first team in history to win four Women's World Cup titles! New York City threw a parade in their honor, and fans lined the streets, clapping and cheering and chanting their names. These women were on top of the world—they'd come so far. They'd achieved their dreams! World Cup Women highlights Team USA's tournament experience and provides a glimpse into what shot them to the top . . . and what may keep them there a little longer.




The History of Women's Football


Book Description

A complete history of women’s football in Great Britain, from its Victorian games beginning in 1881 to 2022 and planning for the Euro Finals. In The History of Women’s Football, author Jean Williams demonstrates how women’s football began as a professional sport, and has only recently returned to these professional roots in the UK. This is because there was a fifty-year Football Association ‘ban’ on women playing on pitches affiliated to the governing body in England. The other British associations followed suit. Why was women’s football banned in 1921? Why did it take until 1969 for a Women’s Football Association to form? Why did it take until 1995 for England to qualify for a Women’s World Cup? Answers to these key questions are supplemented across the chapters by personal accounts of the players who defied the ban, at home and abroad, along with the personal costs, and rewards, of being footballing pioneers. Praise for The History of Women’s Football “This book was very informed, detailed and a very good read. As a football fan, I was staggered by how much I didn’t know and how if football had been better supported at the beginning of the century there is a good chance women’s football would be on a par with the men’s game now . . . this was a very interesting read and I would happily recommend this book to fellow football fans.” —UK Historian




The Official History of the FIFA Women's World Cup


Book Description

The Official History of the FIFA Women's World Cup is an authoritative and comprehensive review of the seven FIFA World Cup tournaments played since the inaugural tournament in 1991. Packed with more than 800 photographs, unique official documents and statistics, it celebrates women's football like no other book. As well as reviews of all editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup and Summer Olympic Games Women's Football tournaments, this volume contains a history of women's football and how it has developed and spread around the world. Each FIFA Women's World Cup section contains a full statistical review. Exhaustively researched by the experts at the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich, this book relives the history of women's football from its earliest days in the late 18th century right up to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup held in the summer. It studies the development of women's football from the days it was outlawed to the present day, showing how each of FIFA's six confederations have embraced the sport and developed it, as well reviewing all of the major global women's football tournaments. This is the ultimate history for anyone who loves women's football and wants to understand how it all began.




FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019


Book Description

From June 7 to July 7 2019, 24 teams from around the world will gather in France for the FIFA Women's World Cup. This official guide provides an insightful, comprehensive preview to get you excited for women's soccer's biggest and greatest tournament. Written by former professional player Jen O'Neill, features include a review of the qualifying campaign, an in-depth analysis of all the participating teams and their star players, a retrospective look at the first seven Women's World Cups, and much more.




The History of the Women's World Cup


Book Description

The History of the Women' s World Cup is a celebration of women' s soccer' s most prestigious tournament. In the UK, crowds and TV viewing figures are at record levels and top players have become household names. The Women' s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand will be the biggest, most eagerly anticipated and watched competition in it' s history.This book explains the growth of the women' s game and the origins of the Women' s World Cup. Illustrated with fabulous colour photographs, it tells the story of each tournament, highlighting key moments, great goals and providing an in- depth account of every final. It recalls the great teams and the legendary players who emerged, including Marta, Birgit Prinz, Megan Rapinoe and Lucy Bronze.The book also previews in detail the 2023 World Cup. It focuses on each of the venues and features the 32 competing teams, their groups and possible route to the final. It also picks out the potential stars of the finals, from Australia' s Sam Kerr and Belgium' s Tessa Wullaert to Germany' s Lea Schü ller and England' s Ella Toone, in a comprehensive guide to the global showpiece of women' s football.In 1995, FIFA President Sepp Blatter famously declar




The World Cup as World History


Book Description

The World Cup as World History uses football’s premier event to analyze modern sports and world history. William D. Bowman traces the history of a tournament that has become a global phenomenon that generates intense political, economic, and cultural interest and profound discussions about racial, ethnic, and gender identity in the contemporary era. By focusing on the World Cup, the book keeps a tight thematic focus that allows for an integrated discussion of the core issues of globalization, money and finance, sport as spectacle, race and gender, and contemporary politics.