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Parklife: A Search for the Heart of Football
- GenresFootballNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 27, 2021
Picked from my pile of read books and chosen because, in light of the proposals for the European Super League and the passions they stirred up i thought it might be nice to see what could be learned from this book, written just over 22 years ago.
The book is a personal study of the state of the game in the mid to late nineties from the perspective of a male fan who first properly fell for football with Leeds United of the mid-seventies. At the time of writing the book, Mr Varley considers himself a fan though no longer attends matches. Given what has happened to football and Leeds United in particular, i wonder whether he now goes, or rather did before the stadia were shut to fans for pandemic reasons and would in the future.
The chapters on how clubs, grounds and players had changed since the early nineties are interesting, the prediction made by an executive of a Premier League club, perhaps Manchester United that in the future, that is roughly now, people would support both their local team, or the one inherited from the family and a "big club", Manchester United reads as being quite an unusual idea. This is something i can say i have experienced. From working in Milton Keynes i know many, mostly under thirty who support both the Milton Keynes Dons because they're the local team and Arsenal or Chelsea or Manchester United or Liverpool and so on because they are the team they first fell for, and from watching them on television. How a person can support two teams that might play each other is beyond me but it makes sense to them. The phenomenon of people supporting a team in England, Scotland, France, or wherever is something new too, when you can see Real Madrid, PSG or Bayern Munich play each week, why wouldn't you support them?
The studies of and interviews with the footballers both current and recently retired suggests a deep love for the game is one of the keys to success. The idea that after retirement, some wold have to get "proper jobs" is something that none want to face up too, football is all they've wanted to do. Luckily those who benefited from the inrush of money are less likely to have to worry about what comes next.
Among the chapters on the pre-nineties culture change includes a harrowing but sympathetic telling of the Hillsborough Disaster and aftermath, of which Mr Varley reported from outside the ground is worth the price of the book on its own. It's a wonderful piece of writing on an incredibly emotional and harrowing subject. And of course, the struggle for answers continues.
From the perspective of now, 27th April 2021, one observation rings true to me. That the game is faster, less violent both inside and outside the ground, and more popular even after the latest ESL attempt is all true, it's also perhaps true that the game isn't as important as it once was. I strongly suspect those two propositions are strongly connected.
The book is a personal study of the state of the game in the mid to late nineties from the perspective of a male fan who first properly fell for football with Leeds United of the mid-seventies. At the time of writing the book, Mr Varley considers himself a fan though no longer attends matches. Given what has happened to football and Leeds United in particular, i wonder whether he now goes, or rather did before the stadia were shut to fans for pandemic reasons and would in the future.
The chapters on how clubs, grounds and players had changed since the early nineties are interesting, the prediction made by an executive of a Premier League club, perhaps Manchester United that in the future, that is roughly now, people would support both their local team, or the one inherited from the family and a "big club", Manchester United reads as being quite an unusual idea. This is something i can say i have experienced. From working in Milton Keynes i know many, mostly under thirty who support both the Milton Keynes Dons because they're the local team and Arsenal or Chelsea or Manchester United or Liverpool and so on because they are the team they first fell for, and from watching them on television. How a person can support two teams that might play each other is beyond me but it makes sense to them. The phenomenon of people supporting a team in England, Scotland, France, or wherever is something new too, when you can see Real Madrid, PSG or Bayern Munich play each week, why wouldn't you support them?
The studies of and interviews with the footballers both current and recently retired suggests a deep love for the game is one of the keys to success. The idea that after retirement, some wold have to get "proper jobs" is something that none want to face up too, football is all they've wanted to do. Luckily those who benefited from the inrush of money are less likely to have to worry about what comes next.
Among the chapters on the pre-nineties culture change includes a harrowing but sympathetic telling of the Hillsborough Disaster and aftermath, of which Mr Varley reported from outside the ground is worth the price of the book on its own. It's a wonderful piece of writing on an incredibly emotional and harrowing subject. And of course, the struggle for answers continues.
From the perspective of now, 27th April 2021, one observation rings true to me. That the game is faster, less violent both inside and outside the ground, and more popular even after the latest ESL attempt is all true, it's also perhaps true that the game isn't as important as it once was. I strongly suspect those two propositions are strongly connected.
July 5, 2023
I'm not sure if this shouldn't be subtitled "A search for the rotten heart of football", as it trawls through many of the most depressing and infuriating aspects of the game: hooliganism, racism, financial exploitation, administrative incompetence and evasiveness, and lack of accountability. The section on the Hillsborough disaster had me particularly incensed, but there were many, many instances of the game being abused and the fans mistreated.
Varley's prose is sometimes less than lucid, and like "Beautiful Bridesmaids", he often lost me in his reflections from various time zones, but this book is a thorough look at some of the worst aspects of football as it was in 1999, and actually a gripping read.
Varley's prose is sometimes less than lucid, and like "Beautiful Bridesmaids", he often lost me in his reflections from various time zones, but this book is a thorough look at some of the worst aspects of football as it was in 1999, and actually a gripping read.
May 28, 2013
Football, or as we in N.Z know it Soccer is about as idolized as Rugby and the All Blacks are here.
Soccer is by far the more popular of the 2 games, and even in N.Z where our All Whites, have competed in 2 World Cups 1982 in Spain & 2012 in South Africa. On a domestic level, the Wellington Phoenix, are part of the Australian competition. This competition also acts as a marketplace,where, wealthy clubs in the UK,USA and Europe can lure players over with the promise of money they could only dream about.
In his book 'Psrklife', Nick Varley, deals with the clubs in England mainly, particularly the ones in the Premier League. where teams like Chelsea spend millions of pounds not only for players, but for facilities, so that fans who've splashed out on season tickets can watch the game in luxurious surroundings.
Varley deals with the troubles surrounding Football, because of hooliganism, and the events such as Middlesborough where a number of their fans died while confronting fans of the opposing side. It is my opinion, that those who indulge in the violence and thuggery, are not fans, but are a troubled element of society indicative of the economy.
My main criticism of the book, was it read like a series of essay's
whereas a history of Premier League Football, would have sufficed.
Soccer is by far the more popular of the 2 games, and even in N.Z where our All Whites, have competed in 2 World Cups 1982 in Spain & 2012 in South Africa. On a domestic level, the Wellington Phoenix, are part of the Australian competition. This competition also acts as a marketplace,where, wealthy clubs in the UK,USA and Europe can lure players over with the promise of money they could only dream about.
In his book 'Psrklife', Nick Varley, deals with the clubs in England mainly, particularly the ones in the Premier League. where teams like Chelsea spend millions of pounds not only for players, but for facilities, so that fans who've splashed out on season tickets can watch the game in luxurious surroundings.
Varley deals with the troubles surrounding Football, because of hooliganism, and the events such as Middlesborough where a number of their fans died while confronting fans of the opposing side. It is my opinion, that those who indulge in the violence and thuggery, are not fans, but are a troubled element of society indicative of the economy.
My main criticism of the book, was it read like a series of essay's
whereas a history of Premier League Football, would have sufficed.
January 1, 2015
An interesting insight into the workings of English football.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews