football is
football down the alley way football in the street football for the whole wide world not just the elite football under lamp-light football on the beach football with a rolled up sock football with a peach football in the job centre football in the gutter football in the superstore with organic butter football belly dancing […]
Sorry We’re Broke… We Got Stuck In The Sixties !
Where Have All The Players Gone? now they say if you recall the sixties you probably weren’t even there but i can still see it as clear as the day all those flowers and dreams in your hair – from the first of the CND marches to football games muddy and free from angry young […]
Winter turns to Spring
It’s been a good start to the New Year so far, what with the Observer’s sports magazine giving us further media recognition and then there’s Dave’s planning and Crispin’s ideas for 2002 too. Very exciting – but discretion prevents my revealing these – but we think you’ll like them. More revelations as the winter turns […]
World Cup Willie Blake’s Haiku Blues
to see the World Cup in a grain of sand and heaven in a football scarf think big in Japan or your Korea will be brief and just for a laugh ********************************************************************************** with apologies and big respect to my main eternal man- William Blake.(Longtime Albion Supporter of course!)
Sorely Misty In The Footy Worldlode-A Tribbly To Sir Stanley(Unwin)
good peopley..far and wide… in the roundy ball write and rhymey world.. and series in the thoughts now.. for better time… never was than now. to menshy-menshy the name Sir Stanley.? and not Matthews in the Stoke shirt of course all brycreemed down the wingy lode.. but Unwin..jokey..jokey..all nonsey funny but make no sensey but […]
ZOLA- I Want To Thank U 4 Giving Me The Best Goal Of My Life
Z-O-L-A (I Want To Thank You For Giving me The Best Goal Of My Life) Well he’s not the world’s most handsomest guy and he ain’t that tall when the corners come by but he’s still got a power like the sun in the sky it’s like solar- gian-franco zola and everything he does goes […]
Football Poetry on Toast & That Ol’ Zola Marmalade
were you chancer or dancer or real hope enhancer for those who lose touch with the game was it wistful or magic or even pelagic* ive watched it again and agian was it planned or impromptu the place it had gone to or totally out of the blue surrounded by yellow how charming and mellow […]
Ode To All Would Be Footballers Wives ( Re-Visited)
so what’s so wrong about wanting yeah to marry a big soccer star and what’s so wrong about shed-loads of money and shed- loads of clothes and a car cause you know what you get when you’re sorted with you nice little footballer man you get fat weekly wages for starters that bring in at […]
On Limericks and Stuff Like That
there once were some poets from Stroud who did great stuff but not very loud it may sound quite absurd for the punters preferred that like children or Steps they were seen but not heard but my god how they did the game proud the invention of megaphones boosted their task with hooters and rattles […]
A Robin replies to Basil
A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS AND MAY ALL YOUR TEAMS WIN EVERYTHING IN THE NEW YEAR. Secondly, a BIG thank you to all our readers and supporters. You have helped this website have another very successful couple of months. Since I wrote in October, we have featured in Channel 4’s “Writing for Kicks” […]
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
John Gilbert Ellis
28th November 2024
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
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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