New book - One Night In Dudelange, Adventures in the UEFA Europa League
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 23:54
Just a quick post that may interest a few people on the forum here (and many thanks to Bert for the permission to plug!).
My book, One Night In Dudelange - Adventures in the UEFA Europa League, was recently published by Vision Sports Publishing. It tells the inside story of a small team competing in the qualifying rounds Europa League - in this case the Irish college team, University College Dublin, who beat F91 Dudelange (sorry Malko!) in 2015 before losing to Slovan Bratislava. It follows the club through UEFA Licensing, attending the draw, arranging away match logistics, scouting the opposition and, of course, playing in Europe. But what happens when you can't find a plane for an away match, or when the opposition officials won't help with match visas, or when the manager's wife is nine months pregnant?
With quotes from players, coaches, officials and fans, this (I think!) will be of interest to anyone fascinated by the early rounds of European competitions. It's available from the publisher's website or on amazon priced at €15 + P&P.
(Mods, feel free to move if there's a better place for the thread!)
University College Dublin AFC, a student team from the second tier of Irish football, is a club unlike any senior club elsewhere in Europe. They’ve been world champions, started riots in Sudan and had the Archbishop of Dublin deem it a mortal sin to play for their main rivals. For those who play for the club, career success is more likely to mean a Government Ministry or a high-ranking CEO position than a move to a Premier League club.
And in 2015, the club embarked on their biggest adventure yet, when they were unexpectedly catapulted into the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa League. As a result, the college’s team of Arts students, Actuary Master’s and Theoretical Physics grads went from playing intervarsity competitions to World Cup stars in the space of six months. Scouting opposition on YouTube, arranging matches 3,000 miles away which would never take place, and players who wouldn’t be recognised on their own campus making headlines across Europe in an unforgettable summer – One Night in Dudelange reveals what it’s really like to prepare for and play in the single biggest day in the UEFA calendar.
My book, One Night In Dudelange - Adventures in the UEFA Europa League, was recently published by Vision Sports Publishing. It tells the inside story of a small team competing in the qualifying rounds Europa League - in this case the Irish college team, University College Dublin, who beat F91 Dudelange (sorry Malko!) in 2015 before losing to Slovan Bratislava. It follows the club through UEFA Licensing, attending the draw, arranging away match logistics, scouting the opposition and, of course, playing in Europe. But what happens when you can't find a plane for an away match, or when the opposition officials won't help with match visas, or when the manager's wife is nine months pregnant?
With quotes from players, coaches, officials and fans, this (I think!) will be of interest to anyone fascinated by the early rounds of European competitions. It's available from the publisher's website or on amazon priced at €15 + P&P.
(Mods, feel free to move if there's a better place for the thread!)
University College Dublin AFC, a student team from the second tier of Irish football, is a club unlike any senior club elsewhere in Europe. They’ve been world champions, started riots in Sudan and had the Archbishop of Dublin deem it a mortal sin to play for their main rivals. For those who play for the club, career success is more likely to mean a Government Ministry or a high-ranking CEO position than a move to a Premier League club.
And in 2015, the club embarked on their biggest adventure yet, when they were unexpectedly catapulted into the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa League. As a result, the college’s team of Arts students, Actuary Master’s and Theoretical Physics grads went from playing intervarsity competitions to World Cup stars in the space of six months. Scouting opposition on YouTube, arranging matches 3,000 miles away which would never take place, and players who wouldn’t be recognised on their own campus making headlines across Europe in an unforgettable summer – One Night in Dudelange reveals what it’s really like to prepare for and play in the single biggest day in the UEFA calendar.