Growing up, I loved sports (and have tried my hand at most of them) and getting lost in a book, but for a long time, they existed in completely separate worlds. My bookshelves were full of wizards and criticisms of capitalism and child spies. Stories I loved. But sport was rarely mentioned, and when it was, it was never centre stage.
I studied children's literature at university, which only deepened my conviction that the books we read as children and into adulthood matter - not just for the stories they tell, but for who they show us we can be. Later, I worked in a school with children with SEN. Most of them hated reading. But for the vast majority, things shifted a little when football got involved. I believe, genuinely, in the magic of reading - but only when the right book finds the right reader.
That's what this collection is about. Just over a year ago, I started compiling a list of books about women's football, because when I went looking, the options were surprisingly thin on the ground. That list grew - into other sports, other formats, other ages - and eventually became The Missing Sportswomen. I'm not just curating either: I want to help build this canon myself, so I'm working on my own novels too. You can find out more about them here.
This collection is for all women who love sport. Sportswomen in all our diversity: queer women, trans women, women of colour, disabled women, working-class women - every woman who has ever laced up, suited up, or stepped onto the field. If you play, these stories are for you.
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