Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar and the Holidays
Our editorial policy on the above is, we confess, inconsistent. Our checking of contributor’s text depends upon a number of contradictory factors: 1. Who is doing the checking. 2. How much time s/he has. 3. Whether s/he is bound and Trussed by concerns for traditional correctitude or whether s/he is in a more relaxed and […]
7/7: Change/Continuity
A short list of innocuous names, Leeds, Luton, Aylesbury, Dewsbury, Names once famous for textiles, hats cars and ducks, But now forever linked with something else, Credit cards, King’s Cross and terrorism; Young men who once played football in the street, Have left us all dazed, anxious and confused About our country’s future prospects, And […]
The Unity Cup Festival
One of my favourite contributors to the site, Ian Beesley, is involved with an initiative for integrating refugees and asylum seekers, called The Unity Cup, which takes place this weekend, July 16th and July 17th at Roundhay School in Leeds. This is a festival of fun events and creative activities organised around a football tournament. […]
Commiserations London
updated 8th July 2005. From euphoria To explosions In one foul swoop our deepest heartfelt sympathies go out to everyone affected by the London bombings of 7th July 2005. what I’d written the day before … Seb Coe, Olympic winner last night, sat down to dinner not knowing, if in today’s race London could keep […]
A June Welcome ……
Before I welcome the poets new to us this month, a quick note in case you missed it : Site Outage Unfortunately we suffered a loss of service on Tuesday 28th June. Our Host providers are moving offices and servers – the upshot of this will be a more resilient service, however, the downside is […]
1945 Football Poetry Workshops in London June 2005 !
1945 Football Poetry Workshops London June 2005 with Crispin Thomas (Football Poets) & Peter Daniel The Football Poets have undertaken recent workshops in Hull, Bradford, Stroud, Liverpool (Everton Study Centre), London(Libraries & Chelsea FC), Charlton Athletic,Stoke,Ascot, and even Brockworth ! For information on Football Poetry Workshops contact Crispin Thomas on crispin@ctmuk.freeserve.co.uk or editors@footballpoets.org Children’s Football […]
We are august even though it isn’t August
We are delighted to say that we have been included in the glossy Citizenship Brochure given to delegates at the recent conference at Old Trafford; we are on the same page as the DfES; OFSTED; QCA; the Holocaust Educational Trust; the Institute of Race Relations; the Refugee Council; the Association for Citizenship Teaching etc., etc.. […]
June is now Football Poets Haiku Fortnight. + Children’s Football Poetry Workshops
Hi All 1. JUNE IS NOW FOOTBALL POETS HAIKU FORTNIGHT .! 2. CHILDREN’S FOOTBALL POETRY WORKSHOPS * For examples of work in Children’s Football Poetry Workshops … please scroll down to 2. (follows the Haiku section) The Footbal Poets have undertaken recent workshops in Hull, Bradford, Stroud, Liverpool (Everton Study Centre), London(Libraries & Chelsea FC), […]
Refugee Week – Poets, Teachers, Students, Basil and the Bard.
Refugee Week runs from June 20th to June 26th. You can find links and lesson plans on www.irespect.net (for lesson plans on that site, go to, unsurprisingly, “lesson plans” and then click on “Untold Stories”). We also hope some poets might contribute some new material on this theme; we have some from previous years – […]
Fame
Where the shady, sequestered sluice gate rots, O’ergrown and canopied by all the years, There grew some forgotten forget-me-nots, Bespattered by the old mill race’s tears, And there I saw my football autograph book, Writ in the swirling waters of the weir. It’s a magical walk into Stroud over the meadow and over the river. […]
About This Site
Welcome to Football Poets -- a club for all football poets, lovers of football and lovers of (alternative) poetry. Discover poets in every league from respected internationals at the top of their game to young hopefuls in the school playground.
Publish your football poems here and then discuss them with your team mates and fans. We're archived by The British Library, so your masterpieces are in the safe hands of a world-class keeper. What a result!
My Account
Latest Poems
joe morris
26th November 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
26th November 2024
Gacina Bozidar
26th November 2024
Wynn Wheldon
26th November 2024
joe morris
17th November 2024
Crispin Thomas
17th November 2024
kevin halls
10th November 2024
joe morris
10th November 2024
Clik The Mouse
10th November 2024
Clik The Mouse
6th November 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
27th November 2024 at 5:55 am
‘You’re Supposed To Be At Home’ is an excellent and moving poem Denys.
You start off thinking it’s just about another oft-sung chant, one we personally heard a lot last season throughout our second relegation in a row here at Forest Green(FGR) ! I always love poems where you think they are saying one thing and then they suddenly pull you deeper to somewhere or something else else.
I’m currently helping in a local school for FGR in a voluntary capacity using football to help young students with reading. At an upcoming session we will tackle racism, just like we did in workshops at football schools and grounds when we first started this site 24 years ago. I’m gonna try and weave your poem into a session.
We’ve added it to the Anti- Racism/Kick It Out section under Crispin’s Corner.
Best C
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26th November 2024 at 1:59 pm
Great poem and great to see you back Wyn.
Don’t leave it so long next time my friend!
More please.
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13th September 2024 at 6:14 pm
Welcome to Football Poets Beth
Great evocative poem Beth….
More please !
Haiku always welcome.
Hope we (FGR) get to play you again soon
Best
Crispin
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26th July 2024 at 6:25 pm
Great poem Mike Bartram. Eddie was a legend, affectionately known in Liverpool as, “the first hooligan.” Even the hoolies were well dressed in those days. The amazing thing was he was only 26 when that picture was taken. He’d played for Everton youth team and was well known to the players. He never got arrested. They threw him out and he climbed back in, just in time for Derek Temples winner.
I used the picture of him being tackled to the ground on the front cover of my book, “Once Upon a rhyme in Football.” It’s worth looking on youtube and finding the re-enactment of the Wembley scene. Frank Skinner and Baddiel went around to Eddies home in the 1990’s and acted it out on the green outside. It’s hilarious, especially all the effort they put in to get Eddie sober enough to shoot the scene.
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10th July 2024 at 6:07 pm
Hi Crispin,
I don’t know if you’ve see the picture in social media today…
a picture of a teenage Lionel Messi cradling a baby in Africa as part of a photoshoot…. the family had won a lottery to have their baby pictured with him….
the photographer has just revealed that the baby is actually in fact Lamine Yamal!!!!
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26th May 2024 at 2:30 pm
Hi Denys…
Re Man City:
OK it was 20 years ago but Criag Wilson did write this and a few others on them back in 04/05.
BTW I’m more Forest Green Rover since 2014 (and Chelsea) these days . I drum and am a standing season ticket holder .
Best
Crispin
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29th April 2024 at 2:47 pm
Hi Denys,
Yes Richard Williams you’re a brilliant wordsmith, my friend. When I first saw your football poetry I thought it was the superb Guardian sports and music writer. I once had the honour of sitting next to Richard Williams while at the Independent on the sports desk. He writes about music and sport with immense knowledge and authority. I’ve read a couple of Richard’s books recently. Great writer rather like you Richard Williams the Pompey fan. Congratulations on promotion.
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28th April 2024 at 5:59 pm
Thanks Denys. Yes your replay poem was superb.
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26th April 2024 at 4:46 pm
Nice work, Joe. You were quick off the mark with that! Good one from Richard Williams too I see.
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25th April 2024 at 7:33 pm
Hi Denys,
Thanks mate. I’ll do it now.
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