{"product_id":"amateur-hour","title":"Amateur Hour","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e With the Covid-19 pandemic restricting fan access to top-level football, the author challenges himself to go to a game in every round of the 2020\/21 FA Vase, from the qualifying rounds to the final under the famous arch.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom Johnnie Lowery, author of the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards 2024-shortlisted \u003ci\u003eMatch Fit: An Exploration of Mental Health in Football\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDespite its charms, the FA Vase generally remains a footnote in the football calendar, escaping the attentions of the average match-going fan. But the 2020\/21 season was like no other. With the country in and out of various lockdown restrictions, ‘elite’ sport was largely played behind closed doors. If you wanted to get your football fix, you had to attend local non-league games.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet in a unique football season fraught with uncertainty, this fascinating book includes:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA first-person account of Lowery’s attempt to attend a game in every round of the 2020\/21 FA Vase\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVisits to an array of non-league clubs – from Whitley Bay to Warrington Rylands – from where Lowery captures the matchday experience in light-hearted but vivid detail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrank reflection on Lowery’s own mental state to provide a deeper insight into his lockdown experience\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn interesting and emotional side-plot as Lowery’s beloved Sutton United look like they could make history\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFilled with funny and sometimes poignant reflections on life and the grass roots game, \u003ci\u003eAmateur Hour\u003c\/i\u003e captures both the strangeness of the lockdown period and the beauty of lower-league football.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57194601120126,"sku":"NW9781836801191","price":12.47,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9781836801191.jpg?v=1778546948","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/amateur-hour","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}