1980s English football biography
A01=Adrian Durham
A01=Ricky Hill
Author_Adrian Durham
Author_Ricky Hill
BAME football coaches barriers
Black British footballer history
Category=DNBS
Category=SFBC
England midfielder biography
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_sports-fitness
forthcoming
inspirational football journey UK
Luton Town legend memoir
overlooked football manager memoir
racism in English football story
Ricky Hill football autobiography
Rooney Rule UK equivalent
Product details
- ISBN 9781836804864
- Dimensions: 129 x 198mm
- Publication Date: 21 Sep 2026
- Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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Ricky Hill grew up beneath the shadow of Wembley Stadium, where he sold programmes at England games as a boy. When he was seven, he was told by a teacher that only two in every hundred boys could possibly make it as a professional footballer. Ricky told her he would be one of the two. Ten years later, this gifted midfielder scored on his debut for Luton Town. Ricky stayed with Luton for 14 years, made 508 appearances and became a club legend. Emerging at a time when racism was rife, he was only the fourth black player to represent England. Later, as a coach, he had to fight to smash down barriers holding back black managers, and devised an equivalent of the NFL's 'Rooney Rule' to help BAME applicants secure senior coaching jobs in English football. While Ricky has won trophies and awards overseas, he has been overlooked in this country. In Love of the Game, he tells the shocking story behind his short spell in charge of Luton, and reveals just how much the football decision-makers in England have ignored him and other black coaches.
Ricky Hill has collaborated with Adrian Durham to write his story. Adrian has been a presenter at talkSPORT Radio since it began in 2000, and has written two other books, Is He All That?: Great Footballing Myths Shattered and Judas?: The Story of Paul Cooke. He is a former Mail Online columnist.
