Terrace Heroes

The 1930s saw the birth of the football idol - prototype for today's powerful media sport stars.

The players of the 1930s were the first generation of professionals, yet until recently the life and careers of footballers of this generation has been little studied.

In 1930s Britain, football became increasingly commercialized, and the rise and development of both local and national media enabled players to become widely recognized outside of their immediate local context for the first time.

Tracing the origins, playing careers and 'afterlives' of several First Division players of the era, Graham Kelly's revealing history explores the reality of living in Britain between the wars and draws interesting comparisons with lives of the modern football hero today.

Graham Kelly is currently Head of the Department of Management at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. He has published extensively in the management development field and has worked in three university business schools leading the development of undergraduate and postgraduate management course and undertaking consultancy assignments with a wide range of national and international companies.

He has watched mainly amateur and non-league football throughout his life and collects football memorabilia, including the Topical Times cards featured in this book. He is a keen supporter of Conference club, Southport, and hopes one day to see them rejoin the Football League.