The Penalty Kick: The Story of a Game Changer

Football in Victorian England was a rough and often dangerous sport.  Willie McCrum was a keen amateur goal-keeper who found himself on the receiving end of too much violence. To curb this foul play, he proposed a new and drastic sanction: the penalty kick! It's the subject of a new book by writer and editor Robert McCrum - Willie's great grandson. 

We are delighted that Robert will be joining us at the festival to talk about his book, which begins in 1891 on a muddy field in Co. Armagh, and culminates in the penalty shoot-out that became the thrilling climax of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar’s Lusail Stadium.

Andy Quye of Hastings United Football Club will be talking to Robert McCrum about all aspects of 'The Penalty Kick' - its history, the part it plays in the modern game, and the psychological impact of taking the game to an all-or-nothing moment.

The Penalty Kick is described as 'a brilliant blend of personal, social and sporting history'.

It  is published on October 8th, however advanced copies will be available at the event for purchase and signing by the author.

This event will last approximately one hour.

More about Robert: 

Robert McCrum is a writer and editor whose book, Shakespearean, was published to great acclaim in 2021. He is also the author of Wodehouse: A Life (2004) and a classic memoir, My Year Off (1998). He was formerly the editor-in-chief of Faber & Faber, where he published Kazuo Ishiguro, Hanif Kureishi, Milan Kundera, and Peter Carey among many others, and was also literary editor of the Observer. 

Photo credit Karen Robinson