Watching the Match : The Inside Story of Football on Television

Written by a man who has held every important post in soccer television, this is a must-read history for all soccer fans interested in how televised soccer became a national obsession in the UK

 

Soccer and television have been intertwined in culture for more than half a century, and Brian Barwick has played a massive role in the continuing liaison between them. This book tells the story of how soccer on television became a national obsession in the UK. The first live soccer match in England was the 1938 FA Cup final, and the winning goal was a penalty in the last minute of extra time—proof if ever it was needed that soccer can deliver the dramatic like no other sport. The FA Cup Final, for years the only match shown live, suddenly became an all-day event with ITV's FA Cup Wrestling Special FA Cup Final going up against the BBC's It's An FA Cup Knock-out.  The 1966 World Cup brought live international matches into the public's home for the first time, and the BBC coverage of the final will forever be remembered by Kenneth Wolstenholme's legendary, "Some people are on the pitch ... they think it's all over . . . here comes Hurst . . . it is now!" Satellite television has moved soccer into a new stratosphere with almost 40 percent of all Premier League matches shown live every season, and the FA's sale of broadcast rights in 2012 for that league alone brought in £3 billion. This book is full of a fascinating story, personal anecdotes, and interviews from in front of and behind the cameras, spanning 75 years.