Football Poets

Football Poetry Workshops+Facebook/Twitter Update

Football Poetry Workshops+Facebook/Twitter Update

Football Poets are now on Facebook and Twitter. If you are on Facebook, please click Like’ to help save this innovative website which currently houses over 13,800 football poems . Visit www.facebook.com/FootballPoets or click here: Football Poets on Facebook

Football Literacy / Poetry Sessions/Workshops May-Dec 2012.
with Crispin Thomas -Premier League Reading Star

“Poems in the street, the ground and the heart, poetry with balls!”
Michael Foreman
“One of the pioneers of football poetry. Who ate all the pioneers”?”
Attila The Stockbroker

With the exciting approach of the Euros and the Olympics we are curently offering availability for Football Literacy /Sport / Activity / Hobby Poetry Workshops and Live Poetry & Music . Crispin has worked at 28 football grounds and undertakes sessions in schools (primary+secondary), academies, colleges, libraries, football/sports study support and community centres, festivals, prisons and anywhere!. Sessions are fun and often high energy and can focus purely on football or can cover all sports and activities and artistic pursuits to be all inclusive .

Contact
Crispin Thomas- The Football Poets
or phone 01453 757376 & 07837 798463
W=Sessions/Workshops

April 2012
07 CHELTENHAM Waterstones Crispin reading (Free) 10-12 noon.
21 CHELTENHAM Poetry Festival 2pm
26 BRISTOL Henleaze Private Event .
28 CHELTENHAM Alive Poets Society.Global Footsteps Cafe. 8pm
July 2012
14 TEWKESBURY 1491 Batle Re-Enactment Crispin+Out To Lunch
May 2012
13 E.LONDON Froud Comm Centre.Manor Park 2.30-5.30 Free
September 2012
01 STROUD Fringe Festival .Free (Day)
30 PAINSWICK Apple Day (Free) Crispin w Out To Lunch
———————————————————————–
Completed 2012 Events/Sessions
March 2012
25 GLOUCESTER Art Tournament
31 STROUD Sub Rooms Beatles 30th Anniv Poetry Reading 12noon
February 2012
06 MORPETH King Edward V1 School (W)
07 MORPETH King Edward V1 School (W)
17 CIRENCESTER New Brewery Arts Big Love Slam.8pm (G)Solo

SOME WORKSHOP/CRISPIN LINKS
Click on coloured link to view then close page or hit Back button

WORLD CUP POETRY WORKSHOP WRITING EXAMPLES
22 World Cup 2010 Poems
Maidenhill School Year 8

19 World Cup 2010 Poems
Maidenhill School Year 7

‘FOOTBALL STUFF’ Crispin Thomas BBC Video Nation Poem / Rap with Casio and ball on the pitch at Forest Green Rovers FC.

INNER GOAL on Amazon Crispin Thomas the poetry of football..a journey in rhyme (Illustrated/Paperback)
Published by Football Poets Books ISBN 9780955 737602 £8.09

BOOK NOTES
A long-overdue and illustrated hard-copy paperback debut from football’s maverick performance poet featuring 75 poems, 65 haikus and hand-drawn illustrations from the author.

SHOPS:
National Football Museum, Preston Tel 01772 908442
Stroud Bookshop, 23 High Street, Stroud 01453 75664

———————————————
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT FOOTBAL POETS …..

“The only known collective of football poets in the world”
Today BBC Radio 4.

“The beautiful game in all its guises . In the street, in the ground, in the memory, in the heart . Poetry with balls! ” Michael Foreman

“Wacky funny and downright mad..but also serious ” Kick It Out

A SHORT HISTORY ……..

Founded by Stuart Butler and our ex-webmaster Dave Cockcroft in June 2000 whose totally un-funded vision was achieved along with Crispin Thomas who with his drive and enthusiasm has kept the site as a living breathing adjunct to the wonderful world of Football, where who visit get to daub their own little mascara’d touches to the face of the Beautiful Game.

During these past 12 years the site has survived with 5 editors; Crispin, Stuart, Parry Maguire, Peter Goulding and Clik . For the past 7 years we have been without a webmaster and with no funding but have inherited and sustained a wonderful yet antiquated site which still runs even if wildly un-modernised, like some old but much-loved football ground.

There are on the site, poems about every aspect of Football, and also how Football reaches into people’s lives, in so many different ways. We take pride in the fact that we try to encourage fans of every age, gender, race, creed, colour, physiology and social standing to embrace the world of Football in poetry.

INVOLVEMENTS /INITIATIVES MEDIA & BEYOND

Along the way , we have worked alongside, been associated/ aligned/appeared with and recognised by many worthy social initiatives to further encourage those aspirations including (in no particular order) :
‘Kick It Out’, ‘The British Council’ ,’National Literacy Trust, ‘Playing For Success’ ‘Kick Into Reading’,’ Reading The Game’, ‘Reading is Fundamental’, ‘Show Racism the Red Card’, ‘Word Up’, ‘Football Unites, Racism Divides’, ‘Give Us Back Our Game’ , ‘Philosophy Football’, ‘Dads Against Drugs ‘ , ‘Read A Million Words’, ‘The Guardian’, ‘The Independent’, ‘The Telegraph’, ‘They Think It’s All Over’ ‘When Saturday Comes’,’Match of The Day 2′ ‘Inside Out’ BBC 1 TV, ‘BBC Radio 5 Live’, ‘Sky Sports’, ‘BBC Radio Gloucestershire’ ‘Cheltenham Festival of Literature, ‘Cheltenham Poetry Festival’, ‘Glastonbury Festival’, ‘Stroud Fringe Festival’, ‘Larmer Tree Festival’, ‘Marlborough Jazz Festival ‘ ,and of course ‘The British Library’ who archived us for posterity as one of only 1000 recommended sites and for which we are very proud.

EDUCATIONAL INVOLVEMENTS LOCAL & GLOBAL

We know we have a global reach, there are poems on the website from every continent on the planet. Our biggest restriction is that we can only currently accept poems in English.

We are also a conduit for countless schools, colleges and educational establishments across the globe – many of whom have sent in the fruits of their wonderful efforts. What a great vibrant contribution they make & also the community initiatives with poetic contributions from clubs we have directly inspired including Chelsea FC, Reading, Portsmouth, Cambridge United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham Utd (ELG) to name but a few..

In addition to extensive work in the UK at football clubs and comminutles Crispin has also along the way been invited by the British Council to perform and run workshops in Germany during the World Cup and in Porto at theri offcies and in ‘secondaria’ schools .

We are indebted to the many people who have championed the site including Jim Sells of The National Literacy Trust, Suzi Raymond and Wendy of Chelsea FC ,Peter Daniel of Westmister Archives, Jude at Fulham FC, Jennie at Reading SSC ,Piara Power and Lord Ousley at Kick it Out, Show Racism The Red Card, Football Unites Racism Divides and Liam Murtagh of King Edward V1 Morperth..we thank you .

Alongside its online presence and undoubted contribution to raising literacy standards Crispin has performed, run workshops and inspired hundreds of enthralled students at the following
Football Club Study Support Centres : AFC Telford, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea FC, Charlton Athletic, Colchester United, Everton, Forest Green Rovers, Fulham FC, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Nothampton Town, Portsmouth, Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers, Reading, Sheffield United, Stoke City, West Ham United & West Bromwich Albion.

There are too many individual contributors to mention – over 2000!!
The full list can be seen under the ‘Poets’ link and there are certainly many, more people who read and enjoy the poems on the website, including sections of the media, who have refercned us on many occasions and also make enquiries from time to time.

ANNUAL EVENTS COVERED & COMMEMORATED

We have commemorated and continue to cover annual events and anniversaries of various football tragedies, e.g. Hillsborough, Heysel, Bradford, Munich Air Crash and the Christmas Truce of 1914. The various footballing events/ major competitions. From our inception at Euro 2000 to the FA Cup, African Cup of Nations, World Cups 02, 06 & ’07 (Women’s) and more recently with World Cup 2010. We hope there’ll be plenty more inspiration for all our past, present and future contributors! Regards

Clik. Ireland (Editor 2001-Present)

“Big thanks to Clik for being there through thick and thin, most especially when my wife was very ill. Much respect also to you all for contributing to support the site with your wonderfully diverse poems. I do hope that one day day we’ll have instant translation here and an up-dated site – with much requested exciting sections for us to share.. given that football is an international language.Keep on.
Crispin Thomas Butterow. Stroud (Editor 2000-Present )

“Of all the things I’ve achieved in my life, I do take pride in the recognition and success the site has achieved – and all from a simple idea originating in the back room of a pub in Stroud in 2000”.
Stuart Butler Rodborough Stroud 1.6.10 (Editor 2000-2005 )

Here are a few of our own earliest poems and a couple from just three of our long-time contributors and supporters.

Football Time Stuart Butler – 2000
Football Stuff Crispin Thomas 2000
Desperately Immature, But.. Peter Goulding- 2003
Young Versus Old In Irwell Road. Simon Icke- 2011
The Save of The Century Kevin Raymond – 2005
The Ghosts From the Playground P Maguire – 2005

You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.