 |
| Some recommended further reading: |
| So many books have been published on the subject that it would be pointless attempting to list them all. A large percentage of them contribute little or nothing to the reliable historical record, which is where I suppose my own interests lie. If you have got this far with my website I can reasonably assume yours do too (or you are very lost on the Internet). |
| |
 |
| I recommend seeking out a copy of League Football and the Men Who Made it by the excellent researcher and author Simon Inglis. It was published in 1988 as (and says so in the sub-title) “The Official Centenary History of the Football League”. |
| * * * |
 |
| Another work by Simon Inglis which I have enjoyed enormously is Engineering Archie, subtitled “Archibald Leitch – Football Ground Designer”. It was published in 2005 by English Heritage. During Mr Inglis’s years of painstaking research for his equally recommended earlier book, The Football Grounds of Great Britain (later editions named The Football Grounds of Britain), he became aware of the hitherto almost unnoticed and extensive work of this man who was principally a factory architect. So many of Britain’s best known and best loved grandstands came from this man’s extensive output over many decades. Engineering Archie is a book dedicated to Glasgow borne Archibald Lietch’s massive contribution to the look and feel of so many league clubs’ grounds, mostly now re-built or demolished. |
| * * * |
 |
| I do not have a copy of the first edition (1983) of The Football Grounds of Great Britain, but think it is worth finding a second edition (1987) in preference to the third (1996). The third edition sadly omitted the fascinating section on stadium design, where the importance (and construction costs) of differing ‘site lines’, distance from the pitch, and rake are explained. Commercial pressures ensured the space in the book was relinquished in order to include other material. Better still, get all three editions. |
| * * * |
 |
| Published in 1953 The History of the Football Association is another must-have for any serious student of the English game. The Football Association was formed on 26th October 1863 by representatives of eleven clubs (mostly now forgotten) and it was only after this that a set of rules became agreed – though the acceptance of them was not necessarily a formality you may think. Another 25 years would pass before the formation of the Football League. |
| * * * |
 |
| The Playfair Football Annual has been around for over 60 years and combined with a similar publication from the News Chronicle for the 1962/63 edition. Each of these little books includes a wealth of detail from the previous season as well as fixtures for the coming one. |
| * * * |
| Organizations worth knowing about are: |
The Association of Football Statisticians whose activities are widespread and extensive.
53A St. Philip Street
London SW8 3SR
England
Telephone: (020) 7720 5079
http://www.11v11.co.uk/ |
The National Football Museum
Sir Tom Finney Way
Preston PR1 6PA
England
Telephone: (01772) 908442
http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com |
| |
