"A brilliant celebration of football and poetry that proves that the beautiful game and the power of words make a winning partnership."
If football is your game, then Back of the Net! is a sure-fire winner. Selected by Paul Cookson, Poet in Residence at England’s National Football Museum, this fantastic collection brings together 50 football poems from a dream team of soccer-mad poets including Roger McGough, Michael Rosen, Coral Rumble, Joshua Seigal and Paul Cookson himself. Brilliantly complemented by Martin Chatterton’s zany, energetic illustrations, this really is the GOAT in football poetry collections.
Whether you play every weekend on a proper pitch or use jumpers for goalposts in the park, there’s something here for every football fan. Goalie, winger, striker, defender - whether you’re perfecting your Cruyff turn or simply love watching the beautiful game, these poems capture all the excitement, drama and emotion of football. The highs, lows and heartbreaks of the game are all here.
What makes this collection especially appealing is the way it introduces readers to different forms of poetry. Throughout the book, you’ll be shown a few cards (don’t worry, not red ones!) that help identify different poetic formations and structures. Sonnets, shape poems, performance poems and haikus all take to the field, demonstrating the many ways poetry can play. It’s a cracker!
Packed with rhythm, rhyme, humour and plenty of opportunities for reading aloud, these poems are designed to be shared and enjoyed. The energy leaps off the page, making this an incredibly accessible collection that will appeal to even the most reluctant readers.
| Suitable For: | |
| Other Genres: |
Get ready to kick off a great reading adventure with this brilliant collection of football poems! Capturing all the agony and ecstasy of the beautiful game, with contributions from Paul Cookson, Bash Amuneni, John Cooper Clark, Sarah McCreadie, Julie McNeill, Roger McGough, Michael Rosen, Coral Rumble and Josh Seigal, you'll find scores to enjoy in this pitch-perfect collection.
From celebrations to touchline encouragement, the thrill of scoring a goal in the garden, to the excitement of the big match: whether you're a footie fanatic or just enjoy kicking a ball about, it's for everyone, everywhere, all abilities, all backgrounds. Build your connection on a different level - through funny poems that make you laugh out loud and more reflective ones that might make you stop and think awhile too. Hilarious tales of hero goalies, superstar strikers, mega midfields and impenetrable defences, of dreams for your team, or of scoring that crucial goal, so come on, grab your copy and join the poetry party!
The Squad — Eleven Poets, Just Like a Football Team
Every squad needs a blend of brilliant legends and fresh talent. Anthology editor Paul Cookson has assembled exactly that — eleven voices, one for every spot on the pitch:
Each and every contributor is a committed football fan, expertly selected by the National Football Museum’s Poet in Residence Paul Cookson.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Back of the Net! and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-8 years old
Back of the Net! features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Recommendations, Football , Sports, Poetry Books for Children, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Ball games and sports, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage poetry, anthologies, annuals
Back of the Net! is available in Paperback
Back of the Net! was written by Paul Cookson and published by Award Publications Limited
Back of the Net! has 80 pages
Yes it is part of Poetry Party series
£6.29
