{"title":"Books by Matt Riley","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781801504980","title":"Thai Football Tales","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMatt Riley takes us on a fascinating and bizarre behind-the-scenes journey into the weird and wonderful world of Thai football.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWorking as an English Media Officer in Thailand, Riley was given unique access, seldom granted to foreigners, to the country's most powerful clubs. \u003ci\u003eThai Football Tales: Beautiful Madness\u003c\/i\u003e is a report on his time inside the Thai football bubble.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom spending the afternoon with Bryan Robson in the Manchester United team hotel, to persuading a player stopping off in Bangkok on the way to sign for an A League club to abandon his journey and play in Thailand, no two days were ever the same.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt a meeting in the northern city of Chiang Mai when helping a friend secure a coaching contract, the chairman Matt was negotiating with jumped into a cage to wrestle a tiger. And after interviewing the ‘King of Buriram’, Riley found his every move was being watched – and filmed!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThai Football Tales\u003c\/i\u003e is a jaw-dropping first-hand account of a Westerner's experiences in a unique and colourful footballing culture.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56306709627253,"sku":"9781801504980","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781801504980_68d40d20-fb89-44dd-a51b-5ad260845028.jpg?v=1786027037"},{"product_id":"9781801507356","title":"Kit and Community","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKit and Community\u003c\/i\u003e digs beneath the surface of inspirational and meaningful designs to reveal the incredible causes that use football shirts to spread their message.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStarting with Stanno's Shirt, we meet Gig and Roger, the parents of Exeter City legend Adam Stansfield, who was cut down by cancer at the heartbreaking age of 31. Gig and Roger share how their son's shirts meant, and still mean, so much to them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen there's York City photographers Kieran Archer, Chris Payne and Tom Poole, who designed the club's stunning centenary shirt, celebrating the city's heritage of chocolate making, illustrated by outstanding images. The trio describe every step of the design process. Plus, in a joyously inspirational interview, Tania and Jayme from Football Shirts FC (for charity) discuss their mission to use shirts to support cancer charities close to their hearts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAs these and other accounts in this innovative book show us - every shirt has a unique story to tell.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56306713002357,"sku":"9781801507356","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781801507356_5710f5a3-7e39-4133-b2e7-c6f89661b87e.jpg?v=1786027118"},{"product_id":"9781801501514","title":"Kit and Caboodle","description":"Kits are cultural touchstones that tell us more about our club, ourselves and the beautiful game's custodians than we often realise. The colours, crests, designs and prices show what makes the game - and us - tick. Kit and Caboodle searches out the stories that our shirts tell us about our support and the society we accept or try to rebel against. The book alternates short, shirt stories with a deeper dive into themes of ethics, philanthropy and dumb decision making. We listen to MP Tracey Crouch as she tells us about her Fan Led Review and how shirts show the progress being made to a more equitable football ecosystem. Shirts also illustrate the rise and mutation of gambling from pools to NFTs and cryptocurrencies, attitudes to the LGBTQ+ community, how clubs like St Pauli are determined to be driven by their values and why Messi's transfer to PSG Qatar can never be financed by shirt sales. Unlike anything else we wear, our club shirts envelop us in the history of our team and give us a hint of the future.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307270779253,"sku":"9781801501514","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781801501514_6e6810ca-461f-4da1-845e-17d25b9ab6c6.jpg?v=1786026950"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-matt-riley.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}