Watford Forever

How Graham Taylor and Elton John Saved a Football Club, a Town and Each Other

By: John Preston, Elton John

Narrated by: Alex Jennings

The unforgettable story of Watford Football Club’s seemingly impossible rise from the Fourth to the First Division, led by the unlikely duo of Hornet’s manager Graham Taylor and rock star–turned-owner, Elton John.

Long before English soccer became an American passion, Watford Football Club—a team located in a working-class industrial town that time and prosperity had passed by—languished at the bottom of the English Football League. Despite their pitiful record, the club enthralled a local boy by the name of Reginald Dwight, who began attending games with his father, an avid fan, in 1953.

More than twenty years later, having shed his given name, Elton John had become the most successful rock star in the world. With his six-inch platforms, spangled jumpsuits, and peroxide-colored hair, Elton was glamorous, gay, and seemingly a universe away from the village where he had supported Watford FC, yet his boyhood love of Watford and its dogged players remained. When tempted to buy the sputtering team in 1976, everyone begged Elton not to invest, but they were his team, as they were his father’s, and he refused to believe that Watford was beyond redemption.

Watford Forever, then, is the remarkable account of Elton John’s ownership of Watford FC, and its transformational journey to the top of the First Division under iconic manager Graham Taylor, who was, in the words of award-winning journalist John Preston, “as traditional as Elton was unconventional.” Inspiring, funny, and ultimately heartrending, this is a tribute to soccer’s unlikeliest duo as Elton and Taylor—a straight-talking former fullback with literally no interest in rock music—both beat the odds and their personal demons to save a club and a community.

Immersed in the grit of Seventies Britain, Watford Forever tells the story of this “indissoluble bond,” revealing how the power of sports and respect for the “other” brought about a reclamation whose reverberations can be felt to this day.

©2023 WAB Global Limited (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Quite enjoyed it

A comedian pointed out that, before the Internet, there were things you just didn't know. Who won the first Academy Award, What song was number 1 in the charts the day you were born? There were things you might have wondered about and just didn't know unless you found them in an encyclopedia or ran across someone who happened to know.

having lived through this time period I found myself astonished I had never heard of this aspect of Elton's life. Not only was he into football (soccer) but he owned a team... and a good one at that!

Found this book great for anyone into football (soccer), Elton John, or anyone on a team looking at building a sense of community and personal development.

Found it quite a good book and was pleasantly surprised to learn this aspect of Elton's life.

Rocket Men

I adored “Watford Forever.” The story, writing, and narration are first class. Indeed, none of the verses got me quite cross at all; I loved the whole thing.

In an era when post-match Saturday nights were all right for fighting, Graham Taylor and Elton John helped transform the game’s image. They reserved a section of their stadium for families to attend matches. Within a decade, the Premier League launched and fans worldwide could watch football made in England.

This story of the circle of life of Graham and Elton won’t go breaking your heart. I adored it. I think you will, too.