The art of being a goalkeeper

by John Silk

With this week's announcement of the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year 2009, John Silk reports for Arts London News on one of the more unlikely contenders...

The shortlist of six has been announced for the William Hill prize.

Duncan Hamilton, winner of the 2007 award with Provided You Don’t Kiss Me, has been earmarked as one of the favourites with his latest effort, Harold Larwood: The Authorised Biography Of The World’s Fastest Bolwer.

However, it is the inclusion of Graham Joyce’s Simple Goalkeeping Made Spectacular that has garnered the most surprise, not least because Joyce is more renowned for his Science Fiction or Fantasy novels, rather than his sports writing.

From sci-fi to sports

You would never detect his literary background from the enthusiasm that is apparent in his novel about a goalkeeper who, at the age of 52, receives a call-up to play for the England Writers’ XI in the literary World Cup.

"You have to be a bit crazy to be a goalkeeper," so the saying goes and Joyce touches on that.

“There's an examination of that in the book,” Joyce comments. “There is a twist in the psychology of someone who wants to be a goalkeeper, it's so different. It's marked out as such, even having a different shirt to the rest of your team and having different rules attached to you. It's a certain type of character that wants to be a goalkeeper and the whole profession is dedicated to preventing your opponent from scoring, rather that building up towards scoring. I've concentrated on this (psychology) a lot in the book. Some people may describe goalkeepers as 'barmy' but I prefer to call them 'individualistic'.”

He does concede, however, there will always be a certain stigma attached to the position. “It's quirky. Everybody else is a bit of a nuisance on the pitch so it's definitely an eccentric view on football.”

Sports journalism

The Keresley born writer decided to pen this book having always had a passion for writing about the sport he loves. He explained: “I've always been a fan of sports journalism, even though I've never tried it before. Sports writing, much like fantasy and science fiction, is a genre that doesn't get the credit it deserves."

“For me, sports journalism is what turned me onto language. I remember when I was a little boy and supporting Coventry City, I used to read the back pages avidly. I particularly liked the fantastic terms that would be used, which would rarely be associated with other genres. Things like, a shot ‘fizzed’ past the post, or he rose ‘majestically’ to head home, or the keeper saves ‘spectacularly’. This style made me write something on my primary school winning the Coventry Shield.”

Passion for goalkeeping

It is clear throughout the book that Joyce has a real passion for goalkeeping that goes beyond a passing interest. He himself has played in this position ever since he first became interested in the sport.

Joyce added: “I have been a goalkeeper since the age of ten. I played for my primary school, secondary school, then my university team. After that I went on to play for various pub teams before giving it all up in my 30s.”

Now in his 50s, Joyce's interest has been rekindled. “And then, in the last few years, I started playing for the sports writers' team." Nevertheless, he admits the art can be as disheartening as it can be pleasurable. "What frustrates me is not being as good as I'd like to be but I've always enjoyed playing at an amateur level."

By chance

This book, whose subtitle describes being: "The Loneliest Position on the Field," came about by chance: “I started blogging about my England Writers’ football team" Joyce revealed: "[and] I was having so much fun and people were enjoying it. Also, I was writing it in a completely different voice to my other books. It was lighter, funnier, somehow more honest and more direct. I ended up sticking with it and making the book.”

There is plenty of tough competition for the prize. Not just Hamilton’s latest release but also from Rick Broadbent’s Ring of Fire: The inside story of Valenino Rossi and MotoGP, which could be the first book on motorsport to win the award.

Best year so far

Whoever does follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Marcus Trescothick’s with his autobiography Coming Back to Me, will be fully deserved, as William Hill’s Media Director and founder of the award, Graham Sharpe, explained: “Last week caused the judges more angst than any other year. It has been a very hard fought contest and there’s been a larger number of entries this year than any year before. Quantity doesn’t always guarantee quality, of course, but I’ve detected over the years that the quality has risen year after year, and this year’s competition has proven to be no different."

He continued: “I went in to the judges’ dinner quite happy that whichever of the six came out on top, it would be a worthy winner. They all had their merits, they were all in the running. I’m very confident that this is one of, if not the best, in the history of the competition.”

The award carries a £21,000 first prize but, as Sharpe illustrated, there is much more to winning it than just that. “It will increase the notoriety and the potential sales of the book.”

As for winning it with his offbeat style, author Graham Joyce said: “I haven’t got great expectations because it’s such a quirky book but I’m just floating (happy) on the idea that I’m in the last six.”

The judges, Broadcasters Danny Kelly and John Inverdale, esteemed journalists Alyson Rudd and Hugh McIlvanney, as well as Chairman John Gaustad, will announce the winner on Thursday November 26 at around 1.30pm at Waterstone’s in Piccadilly.