A book that delves into the treacherous pathway from junior footballer to ‘making it’, this one certainly triggered my curiosity. Author Amy Schembri is a new name to me, but she is doing a good job with publicity and I’ve seen her on social media frequently since the book was announced. I had an idea of what to expect before reading it, although no real notion of the target audience or the level of language used. Finishing a book in four sittings is rare for me, you should see the pile of books on my bedside table, but having the opportunity to buy a copy well before the actual release date made me feel like a pioneer, and I simply had to read it.
To set out such a book in chapters would not really work – instead we have an introduction to the concept and some welcome photos of the seven footballers who contribued to the book. This is followed by four parts of any footballing journey; junior days, youth days, going pro and life after football, where the author poses questions and reacts to the responses from each of the players. We then finish with some words of wisdom for parents from the viewpoint of the players themselves and also from a professional psychologist, before closing with a series of self-reflective questions that can help initiate discussion about the book. It’s clever, and each reader will be able to position themselves or their children into one of the four parts, so it will be relevant regardless of where you are in your football career.
Without giving too much away, the story of Josh Risdon, from an AFL family and who moved to the big city to follow his footballing dreams at the age of 14, is entertaining; we get to know the backstory of each of the players, to the point where it is a mini-autobiography, the subject openly answering the author’s questions and going to more depth than they probably meant to. Callum Nicholas is a player from the UK who was destined for big things with Liverpool; his career had plenty of twists and he now finds himelf playing in Melbourne. The interview with Callum is more like an interrogation – the next question always asking for more information from the previous answer – so is not as relaxing a read as the others, but is very engaging.
There is a lot about school in this book, and rightly so. Every one of the players had the challenge of balancing school with football, and they did so with differing outcomes. The role of the parents is also a key element of the football journey – having to head out into peak traffic in Melbourne to cross the city three times a week is not for the faint-hearted. The players all know that they could not have achieved what they did without their parents to do the spade work. That’s lovely to hear.
Some of the key takeaways from the book, for me at least, were 1) a section where Chloe Logarzo details going ‘off the rails’ and 2) the revelations of Josh Risden’s anxiety issues. Both of these delve into mental health as a big part of the journey of a footballer, and bringing in a psychologist at the end to offer an insight for parents trying to navigate the journey with their future star is a welcome addition. There are a number of one-liners that are very useful : “…parents these days need to consider whether they want their children to play on the B team and be on the pitch, or on the A team but only play for ten minutes.” and there are themes regarding perseverence and resilience, and that the team is always greater than the individual. The parents section is a great read, probably because it is very relevant to my own situation.
There are, though, a few very minor things that didn’t sit right for me. In the first section of the preface, ‘everyone’ plays in the family, but there is no mention of mum, aunties etc – it’s all men! There is a mysterious football team “South Hampton”, and I’m still torn as to whether or not someone not from Wolverhampton would refer to Wolves as ‘The Wolves’. The “Championship League” is another term that doesn’t read right; it’s the Championship or the Champions League, although it was Wigan Athletic that was referred to, so it was definitely not the Champions League! There’s also a line “I still missed not having my dad around” which might get a revision in a later release, but if it was said in conversation, who am I to nit-pick?
There are a few formatting issues in the book, such as headings unbolded, that don’t take anything away from the content, but may be explained by the rush to get the book first released before Christmas, but in reality this a well thought-out format.
The term “everything happens for a reason” is used a lot throughout by the players, which is all very well in retrospect when it all works out, but this book has some thought-provoking moments too. A footballer’s life being a triangle, a concept introduced by Chloe Logarzo, is a very interesting viewpoint; she is quite nomadic and comes across as a rebel or a loose cannon. The assertion that you will be told ‘no’ many times in your career is reassuring, and also that there has to be enough stress and pressure to perform at your best. There are many more comments that can be analysed in isolation, and every reader will take different lessons from the book.
What a great idea for a book though. The selection of football players used is perhaps skewed to those that actually did make it in their eyes, and the inclusion of three national team players gives the book added gravitas and appeal to those younger readers who might see themselves as the next star of the Matildas or the Socceroos. Thoroughly enjoyed the read, the language is perfect for the younger reader, and this collection of mini-autobiographies may be a good avenue for football readers of the future.
Out now, but not officially until the new year. Check out this link.
