No Hunger In Paradise: The Players. The Journey. The Dream

No Hunger In Paradise: The Players. The Journey. The Dream

by Michael Calvin (Author)

Synopsis

Shortlisted for the British Sports Book Awards 2018 What's your dream, son? A six year-old boy, head bowed, mumbles the eternal answer: Be a footballer.... Steadman Scott, football's most unlikely talent scout, smiles indulgently, and takes him in from the street. He knows the odds. Only 180 of the 1.5 million boys who play organised youth football in England will become a Premier League pro. That's a success rate of 0.012 per cent. How and why do the favoured few make it? What separates the good from the great? Who should they trust - the coach, the agent or their parents? Michael Calvin provides the answers on a journey from non-league grounds to hermetically sealed Premier League palaces, via gang-controlled sink estates and the England team's inner sanctum. He interviews decision makers, behavioural specialists, football agents and leading coaches. He shares the hopes and fears of players and their parents. He exposes bullying and a black economy in which children are commodities, but remains true to the dream.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 464
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Arrow
Published: 11 Jan 2018

ISBN 10: 1784756113
ISBN 13: 9781784756116
Book Overview: Award-winning author of The Nowhere Men and Living on the Volcano, Michael Calvin is back with his new book that tells the inside story of becoming a professional footballer.

Media Reviews
Another landmark work from Mike Calvin, who has taken us beyond the surface of football to show its true workings. Ground-breaking reportage with a heart and a conscience. A service to the game. -- Paul Hayward * Telegraph *
Extraordinary writing, a vital subject, a brilliant read -- Jonathan Northcroft * Sunday Times *
If you're in any way interested in what lies beneath the water of the Premier League Iceberg, read Mike Calvin's latest book No Hunger in Paradise -- Owen Gibson * Guardian *
A fascinating insight which gets to the heart of the matter - and problems - chasing every kid's dream. A compelling read for anyone who likes football and the stories surrounding the stars of tomorrow. I couldn't put it down. -- John Cross * Daily Mirror *
Another exceptional piece of work -- Jason Burt * Telegraph *
Author Bio
Michael Calvin, one of the UK's most accomplished sportswriters, has worked in more than eighty countries, covering every major sporting event, including seven summer Olympic Games and six World Cup finals. He was named Sports Writer of the Year for his despatches as a crew member in a round-the-world yacht race and has twice been named Sports Reporter of the Year. He is a bestselling author, whose book The Nowhere Men won the Times Sports Book of the Year prize in 2014. He became the first author to receive the award in successive years, when Proud, his collaboration with former Wales and British Lions rugby captain Gareth Thomas, was named Sports Book of the Year in 2015. In the same year the second book of his football trilogy, Living On The Volcano, was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize. No Nonsense, his collaboration with Joey Barton, was nominated for the award in 2016.