Football Biomechanics explores the latest knowledge of this core discipline in sport science across all codes of the sport. Encompassing a variety of styles, including original scientific studies, syntheses of the latest research, and position statements, the text offers readers the most up-to-date and comprehensive reference of the underlying mechanics of high-level football performance.

The book is divided into five parts, covering fundamental football actions, the biomechanics of direct free kicks, footwear, biomechanical considerations in skill acquisition and training,...

Considering the celebrity-like status of the professional football manager, surprisingly little is known about their role. This book provides an unprecedented insight into the world of the contemporary professional football manager. Drawing on original research, it explores the complex challenges and skills of the football manager in an increasingly commercialised industry.

Written by a former professional footballer, the book examines how personal contact, networks and the social mobility of different actors within the industry influence various elements of the manager's role....

Soccer is undeniably the most popular sport in the world. While we know much about its high-profile players and their increasing wealth and global influence, we know little about referees and the ways in which refereeing has changed throughout the history of the sport.

This book provides an in-depth exploration of the evolution of the match official. It presents a comparative analysis of elite Association football referees in England, Spain and Italy, as well as offering insights into the involvement of UEFA and FIFA in referee training. Drawing on archive material, the book...

The rapid global growth of the sport industry has prompted the need for a more professional and commercial orientation to the management of sport. This book represents the first of its kind to provide a real-world insight into understanding management principles and their application to the sport industry.

Specifically, it offers a critical and applied examination of 'best practice' principles in professional football club management, where clubs are increasing adopting leadership and management principles from outside of their industry. The commercialisation and global reach of...

The English Premier League (EPL) is one of the world's most valuable and high-profile sports leagues, with millions of fans around the globe. The 2016/17 season marked the 25^th anniversary of the EPL, providing a unique opportunity to reflect on how it has contributed, both positively and negatively, to key developments in football - and in sport and culture more broadly - at local, national and global levels.

Drawing on central themes in the social scientific study of sport, such as globalisation, celebrity, fandom, commercialisation, gender, sexuality and race, this...