The turbulent history of London’s famous sports and entertainment mecca, the old Stadium that witnessed some of the most heroic events of the twentieth century. It was the field of dreams, the birthplace of legends, the hallowed home of our sporting gods. Historic Wembley Stadium, with its iconic Twin Towers, was truly the most revered of venues. It is the ancient edifice’s often forgotten past that is the subject of this book. Wembley, it must be remembered, came to the rescue of the first postwar Olympics when no other nation on earth would accept the challenge. It gripped greyhound racing aficionados and it thrilled to the roar of speedway stars. The giants of American football also muscled in to display their skills there. Great Britons like Frank Bruno and Henry Cooper stepped into the ring (and Cassius Clay was felled to the canvas) before stunned boxing fans. And, of course, Wembley crowds gasped in awe at the footwork of Stanley Matthews and wept in ecstasy at the triumph of Bobby Moore. But the North London location is more than just the Holy Grail of sport. It has seen defining moments in pop music history, such as Live Aid. It has given platforms to the Pope and evangelist Billy Graham. It has staged breathtaking spectaculars no other venue could hope to accommodate, growing in stature over the course of an astonishing century. This then, for both sports buffs and social historians, is historic Wembley’s story . . . an unfolding saga played out beneath those symbolically soaring Twin Towers. “An absolutely enchanting read . . . You can’t miss with this one.” —International Soccer Network

Splinters has somehow managed to scoop the jackpot and score the Wildcats a gig playing at the reopening of Wembley Stadium. The team is excited until they realise that they are scheduled to play the cream of English schoolboys. And it?s the Wildcats who are going to get creamed! After years of being humiliated by Australia at cricket, swimming, equestrian, and beach volleyball, the English FA decides that, with the rest of the world watching, it?s time for a bit of colonial payback. But the authorities haven?t counted on the pride that goes with pulling on the green and gold, or in the Wildcats? case, the red and blue.

John Stoneman follows a tributary of the 2007/08 FA Cup from its earliest of rounds in August through to the showpiece final at the Wembley. Part reportage, part biography, this amusing travelogue will resonate with all football fans.

The Way Indians Were Being Indian, Someone Had To Take Notes, Explains Sanjay Suri, Whose Wanderings Through The Indian Corridors Of England Began Quite Unceremoniously With His Rather Unsuccessful Search For A Wife At A Marriage Mela In Wembley. Although Years Of Curious Probing Failed To Produce An Indian Story , Suri S Encounters With An Extraordinary Variety Of Indian Lives Enabled Him To Unearth A Treasure Trove Of Tales. So We Hear Of Dhanjibhai, Whose Vigorous Nods To A Customs Official At The Karachi Airport In 1956 Eventually Got Him And His Companions Their First Jobs In England In The Textile Mills Of J.W. Bastard & Co.; Of A Thread-And-Buttons Retailer Promoting A New Religion To Counter Caste Walls That Remain Firmly In Place 4000 Miles From Home; And Of The Punjabi Agony Aunt Who Engages In Startlingly Candid Exchanges With Southall Singhs, Counselling Them On, Among Other Things, The Matter Of Size. As Suri, Armed With The Objectivity Of A Seasoned Reporter Yet Intimately Involved With His Own Kind, Steps Right Into The Thick Of Things, We Also Catch Him Participating In A Unique Protest March Led By Ram , Krishna And Hanuman Down Kingsway; Attending A Secret Public Meeting Ostensibly Arranged To Champion The Evergreen Kashmir Cause; And Playing Appreciative Audience To A Group Of Seven-Year-Olds Belting Out Jhatkas At Their Weekly Bollywood Dance Class. " A Spirited Revelation Of The Exuberant Mosaic Of Life In Post-Immigration Britain " A People S Search For An Anchor In The Alien Land They Have Made Their Home.

It started on a cold, frosty morning in 1951 in Christchurch, New Zealand, with a seventeen-year-old-boy, a crate of sheeps' kidneys and a dream. The boss of the city's Belfast meatworks, had arrived an hour early to set up for the day, when he noticed one of his workers packing up a crate on the countertop. The young lad was battling to move it so the boss went over to help. When asked what time he'd started, the boy replied 'Five o'clock this morning'. Stunned, and amused, the boss told him he'd be earning a good bonus at the end of the week, and wondered aloud what he'd spend it on. But the boy knew, and immediately replied, 'I'm going to race speedway in England.' And he did. That boy was Barry Briggs, and it was just the start of his great adventure. Little did he know he was soon to become the legendary speedway racer more commonly known as Briggo, and later as Barry Briggs MBE. From dangerous encounters in the jungles of Liberia to teaching Steve McQueen to slide a speedway bike, Briggo's incredible story is one of strength, determination and a life lived firmly in the fast lane.

“Every football fan will enjoy this” – John Cross, Daily Mirror “Beautifully written. A book to lift the spirits.” – Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail “A heart-rending, life-affirming joy” – Charlie Connelly, bestselling author of Attention All Shipping “Reminds us what the game is really all about” – Miguel Delaney, Independent "A life-affirming tale of never losing faith in your team." – Adam Hurrey, Daily Telegraph In 1968, fourteen-year-old Dave Roberts had a dream – to see the team he’d recently begun supporting, Bromley, play at Wembley. The trouble was that Bromley were rubbish, and when they spent the following decades far away from the pinnacle of non-league football, the dream seemed unreasonably ambitious. But he never gave up. After all, Bromley had been there before – the proof was in the black-and-white pictures of the club’s 1949 Amateur Cup triumph which hung on the wall of the tea hut at Hayes Lane, and which Dave stared at longingly. It was enough to keep that dream alive, as the rest – fortune, success and marrying Olivia Newton-John – fell by the wayside. But after fifty years of never losing faith despite constant disappointment, a favourable draw in the FA Trophy gave Bromley the chance to finally make Dave’s dream come true...