Nottingham’s independent bookshop | 14a Long Row, Nottingham NG1 2DH | 0115 8373097
Football, in the 1880s, was a rough and often dangerous game. As a result William McCrum, the heir to a linen fortune and a keen amateur goalkeeper in Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland, proposed a new and drastic sanction: a penalty kick that would admonish anyone – and their team – for not following the rules. At first the International Football Association resisted ‘the Irishman’s Motion’ as a restriction that would curb the players’ freedom of expression, but the penalty kick was adopted in 1891 to almost immediate acclaim among fans and players. For about a hundred years, this extraordinary phenomenon has not only regulated the conduct of football, but has inspired game theorists and infiltrated classics of contemporary literature. An enthralling portrait of a lost age, The Penalty Kick looks at the history and meaning of an extraordinary phenomenon while examining the penalty kick’s psychological – even philosophical grip – on our imaginations, with its distillation of risk and chance into an all-or-nothing moment.
Postage is calculated at 10% of your order value, minimum £1.00, up to a maximum of £3.00. There is a free postage option at checkout if you are housebound/shielding, on low income, or need help with postage costs for any other reason. Your order will usually arrive within 2-3 working days.
Shop Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday:
10.00am – 5.30pm
Sunday:
12.00pm – 4.00pm
Contact Us:
Five Leaves Bookshop
14a Long Row
Nottingham
NG1 2DH
0115 8373097