Beyond Bend It Like Beckham - by Timothy F Grainey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Though it burst into public consciousness only with the 1999 World Cup, women's soccer has been around almost as long as its male counterpart, flourishing in England during and after World War I. From the rise of women's soccer following Title IX legislation in the early seventies to the watershed 1999 World Cup performance that turned the American team into instant celebrities, soccer is now the most popular sport for girls and women, with participation growing exponentially worldwide. Beyond "Bend It Like Beckham" presents the first in-depth global analysis of the women's game--both where it has come from and where it is headed. With commentary from key players, coaches, and administrators, Timothy F. Grainey follows the sport's reach into the unlikeliest places today, even countries where women were banned from playing soccer just a few short years ago.
Though women in the United States and Canada still fight for equal treatment and funding, their situations differs markedly from the hostility, abuse, and even outright bans that some women still encounter in trying to pursue an activity they love. Through the prism of soccer, this book explores the struggle for women's rights abroad, in countries as diverse as Sweden, Russia, South Africa, Pakistan, Australia, and Iran.

Review Quotes

"Beyond Bend It Like Beckham presents the first in-depth global analysis of the women's game--both where it has come from and where it is headed."--Total Football Magazine -- (5/29/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"As a longtime journalist and organizer, Tim draws upon decades of experience in the sport. The story he tells is encouraging, showing how the profile of women's soccer has grown."--Bruce Berglund, New Books in Sports

"I have long heralded Grainey as the king of knowledge on international women's soccer. While I have spent the past three years scrutinizing women's soccer in North America, Grainey has spent parts of the last three decades collecting information on the game and watching it grow up. All that culminated into a piece of literature that serves as both a compelling a read and a reference book."--Jeff Kassouf, Equalizer-- (4/12/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Beyond 'Bend It Like Beckham' serves as a great history lesson for a sport where persistent struggle has led to remarkable growth. It is a wonderfully insightful look at the development of the sport in the United States and abroad. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to any women's soccer enthusiast."--Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, Olympic gold medalist, World Cup Champion, and co-head coach of women's soccer at Virginia Commonwealth University-- (9/26/2011 12:00:00 AM)

"The fascinating history of women's soccer around the world is a story that transcends sports. . . . This important book tells the interesting story of the past, present, and future of the sport that woke up Americans to the success of Title IX during the wildly popular 1999 Women's World Cup. But there's much more to women's soccer than those memorable few weeks, and Tim Grainey covers it all."--Christine Brennan, ABC News commentator and author of Best Seat in the House-- (9/26/2011 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Timothy F. Grainey is a sports journalist who has written extensively on soccer for World Football Pages, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Soccer365.com, Equalizersoccer.com, and TheGlobalGame.com.