Bladderfuls

when the bastions of fair play bungled the ball

By: Neil Mach

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

After a coach-sanctioned harsh tackle in 1962, Mickey Clarke, who was perhaps one of the best football players of his day, suffered a serious injury that prevented him from playing professionally.

In the late 1980s, Clarke created a secure and enjoyable mini-league football format for children aged six to nine, featuring six-aside games at his home town ground at Staines Town, Middlesex. Clarke approached the Football Association, hoping to improve the national game and attract fresh players at a young age, urging them to consider his proposal and acknowledge his accomplishments.

The football regulating body did not overlook his efforts. But rather than assisting him, they undermined his plans, mocked and threatened him, and disparaged his achievements. Ultimately, they appropriated his concept and sold it to one of the wealthiest corporations in the world.

According to Mickey Clarke, the main character in this narrative, this is a true account of how the institution that was established to safeguard fair play on the pitches dropped the ball and botched the game! This football story accurately depicts the repercussions of taking on an institution that is so esoterically obscure that it became impossible to determine what their true objectives would be, or fathom their motives. To protect the 'main players' involved in this light-hearted football history, the novel incorporates fictional names, characters, companies, places, events, and incidents.