[With thanks to dahamsta for permission to plug!]
There's a new LoI book out for those interested. One Night in Dudelange - Adventures in the UEFA Europa League is published by Vision Sports and is the story of UCD's unlikely 2015 European adventure.
With quotes from players, coaches, officials and supporters, this isn't so much a UCD book as celebration of the everyday things which make European games so memorable - blackmailing Russian officials, sneaking into VIP areas, ultras and players bumping into each other in Tescos on matchday and, of course, going on the drink in Coppers afterwards.
It's available on the publisher's website (price works out at €15 + P&P), in the UCD club shop on matchdays and shortly in the campus bookshop.
Blurb
University College Dublin AFC, a student team from the second tier of Irish football, is a club unlike any senior club elsewhere in Europe. They’ve been world champions, started riots in Sudan and had the Archbishop of Dublin deem it a mortal sin to play for their main rivals. For those who play for the club, career success is more likely to mean a Government Ministry or a high-ranking CEO position than a move to a Premier League club.
And in 2015, the club embarked on their biggest adventure yet, when they were unexpectedly catapulted into the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa League. As a result, the college’s team of Arts students, Actuary Master’s and Theoretical Physics grads went from playing intervarsity competitions to World Cup stars in the space of six months. Scouting opposition on YouTube, arranging matches 3,000 miles away which would never take place, and players who wouldn’t be recognised on their own campus making headlines across Europe in an unforgettable summer – One Night in Dudelange reveals what it’s really like to prepare for and play in the single biggest day in the UEFA calendar.
Good to see another LOI book on the go.
Were none of the Irish publishers interested, or did you not try them ?
No bites here unfortunately
Ordered a copy today there. It better be good or the ban hammer will be out sharpish.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Shall order a copy this weekend. I'm intrigued by this "They’ve been world champions, started riots in Sudan and had the Archbishop of Dublin deem it a mortal sin to play for their main rivals". I have never heard anything abou these - any chance of a quick history lesson Stu? It would certainly fit in to the randomness of #TheGreatestLeagueintheWorld!!
Ooh. About that actually. Finn Harps fans may...need a sense of humour, shall we say.
Yup. UCD won the World Collegiate Soccer Championships in New Mexico in 1987; the trophy is (or was anyway) on display in the Sports Centre.
You can read more here, and in fact there's most of the footage from the final too. The only goal is at 1:34:00
There's a brief article on the UCD in Sudan bit here, and the mortal sin bit is playing slightly loose with the truth, but it's an extension of the bishops' (in particular, John Charles McQuaid) decision to deem any Catholic attending or sending their children to attend Trinity to be guilty of a mortal sin. Here's an example; it was the case up until 1970 amazingly. So given you had to be in Trinity to play for them, then technically the blurb statement becomes true, though it wasn't quite what McQuaid had in mind.
Last edited by pineapple stu; 02/10/2019 at 6:33 AM.
As a man who wore a wrestling mask to games for 6 years because of a single remark Collie O'Neill made, I think forgiveness, good humour and perspective are exactly what can be expected of me
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
I'm screwed...
*Looks around*
Not banned.
Presume still in Mr A's reading pile
You're lucky enough, ploughing through a fairly weighty tome and it'll be ages before I get to it!
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
Got it last week. Really enjoyable book in particular the behind the scenes view on the UEFA Licencing is a great read.
Features in today's Irish Times section of the Sports Books of the Year, squeezed in between Pep and the O'Donovan brothers -
Happy out with that!A delightful account of UCD’s unlikely Europa League campaign in the summer of 2015. It’s a fun little gem of a book, filled with fatalism and the enjoyably have-a-go attitude of those involved.
Thorougly enjoyed the book Stu! Im sure any LoI fan would enjoy it so give it a go, and put a few bob in a poor students pocket ;p
Last edited by Nesta99; 30/11/2019 at 7:36 PM.
A poor student, not the poor student
Oi, get off my thread!
Actually, looking at the Irish Times piece in full, it only nominates three football books (there's 22 sports books in all). There's Sadlier's one, which is getting rave reviews. There's a behind-the-scenes view of Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City project. And there's One Night in Dudelange. That's decent company, I think.
I’m just a little disappointed your names Kevin!
Congrats Pineapple! Good stuff!
Fantastic recognition, and deserved too it's an excellent read
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