No Hunger In Paradise: The Players. The Journey. The Dream

Shortlisted for the British Sports Book Awards 2018

“What’s your dream, son?”

A six year-old boy, head bowed, mumbles the eternal answer: “Be a footballer….” Steadman Scott, football’s most unlikely talent scout, smiles indulgently, and takes him in from the street.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 464 pages
Publication date: 11 January 2018
Publisher: Cornerstone

“Whats your dream,son?” a six-year-old boy mumbles, his head bowed in contemplation. The eternal response echoes through the air, "Be a footballer." Steadman Scott, a man with an unlikely talent for scouting football, smiles indulgently and extends a welcoming hand to the young boy from the street. He knows the odds. Only 180 of the 1.5 million boys who participate in organized youth football in England have the potential to become Premier League professionals. That's a success rate of just 0.012 percent.

How and why do the favored few make it? What distinguishes the exceptional from the ordinary? Whom should they trust—the coach, the agent, or their parents? Michael Calvin embarks on a captivating journey, traversing from non-league grounds to hermetically sealed Premier League palaces. Along the way, he conducts interviews with decision-makers, behavioral specialists, football agents, and renowned coaches. He shares the hopes and fears of players and their parents, unveiling the darker side of the sport, including instances of bullying and a black economy where children are treated as commodities. Yet, Calvin remains steadfast in his commitment to the dream, unwavering in his pursuit of understanding the intricacies that shape the lives of aspiring football stars.

Weight: 322g
Dimension: 197 x 129 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781784756116