HOW FOOTBALL SHOULD BE PLAYED

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint – they do all the great Got, Not Gots and retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising sports book publishers and remains a beacon of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect" commissioning of boxing material stands as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining and clever ideas. They work out what the aficianado would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most. Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Bent Arms & Dodgy Wickets, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books. They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands around the world to get into triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't and realise that interest in football extends beyond the Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious, seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with, contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it, using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football, channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

04 Aug

HOW FOOTBALL SHOULD BE PLAYED

Johnny Haynes: The Portrait of a Football Genius is the biography of one of England’s greatest ever footballers – a player described by Pele as “the greatest passer of a ball I have ever seen.”

He was capped 56 times, 22 as captain, including the 9-3 hammering of the Scots at Wembley in 1961. He succeeded Dennis Compton as the ‘Brylcreem Boy’. When he became the first £100-a-week player it cemented his celebrity superstar status as the David Beckham of his day. Haynes only ever played for one professional club and finished his playing career in South Africa. He retired into relative obscurity and lived the last 20 years of his life in Edinburgh before tragically dying in a car accident in 2005.

In his obituary, James Lawton wrote, “Haynes was still the beginning and end of how football should be played. He had the wit to change the way the game was understood and played in this country.” His fascinating life story is told through his family, ex-teammates, famous journalists and celebrities as well as his fans.

Read Johnny Haynes: The Portrait of a Football Genius, and you will discover:

Why Bobby Charlton believed that to receive a pass from Johnny Haynes was pure pleasure
How a car crash almost finished his career when he was captain of England
The truth about his relationship with Alf Ramsey – and why he was omitted from the 1966 World Cup Squad
Why he was arrested in South Africa after a complaint by an elderly female neighbour
What he did in the ‘Swinging Sixties’ as a football superstar – and the time a famous knighted actor mistook him for a boxer
Why Haynes never played for a major club, despite twice being voted Britain’s top player by the readers of Charles Buchan's Football Monthly
How a famous journalist once almost made him fall 200 feet from a window sill
Why he never received any honours from the Queen, unlike other great players of his era
How Johnny almost caused a riot in Rome after an England victory in the early 60s

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Johnny Haynes.