The big trade publishers all have their few A-list football titles every year but for the best stuff you need to dig a little deeper. What you’re looking for are these great (mostly independent) sports publishers, working a little under the radar to bring you passionate, interesting books. This is a list for both aspiring writers and avid readers. So in no particular order:

1. BackPage Press

Website: http://backpagepress.co.uk/

Twitter: @BackPagePress

Background

“BackPage began publishing world-class sports books in 2010. Today we produce great audio content, brilliant blogs, sold-out live events and we’re still publishing some of the best sports books out there.”

Books to read

 Barça by Graham Hunter

I Think Therefore I Play by Andrea Pirlo

 

2. Pitch Publishing

Website: http://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/

Twitter: @PitchPublishing

Background

“Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining and clever ideas. They work out what the aficionado would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.”

Paul Hayward, Chief Sports Writer, The Telegraph

Books to read

Eibar the Brave by Euan McTear

Fully Programmed by Derek Hammond and Gary Silke

 

3. DeCoubertin Books

Website: decoubertin.co.uk/

Twitter: @deCoubertin

Background

“deCoubertin Books is a small publisher with big ideas. We use our experience from the worlds of journalism, web, publishing and design to produce beautiful non-fiction books that we passionately believe in.”

Books to read

Up There by Michael Walker

Touching Distance by Martin Hardy

 

4. Yellow Jersey Press

Website: https://www.penguin.co.uk/search/?q=yellow+jersey&f=i%3AYellow%2BJersey

Twitter: @YellowJersey_ed

Background

“Yellow Jersey Press is a sports list with a distinctive literary edge and a particular passion for cycling. Four-times winner of the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, Yellow Jersey publishes some of sport’s greatest heroes including Sir Bradley Wiggins and Diego Maradona as well as some of the best and most respected sport’s writers in the industry – William Fotheringham, C.L.R James, Ned Boulting, Paul Kimmage and H.G Bissinger.”

Books to read

A Life Too Short by Ronald Reng

Promised Land by Anthony Clavane

One Night in Turin by Pete Davies

 

5. Ockley Books

Website: http://www.ockleybooks.co.uk/

Twitter: @OckleyBooks

Background

“Ockley Books Ltd is a publishing company looking to carve a niche in the world of sports books and writing. We are only looking to bring you the highest quality books possible and give our writers as much help as we can to produce their finest work.”

Books to read

The Agony and the Ecstasy by Richard Foster

Juventus: A History in Black and White by Adam Digby

 

6. Tales From Ltd.

Website: http://talesfrom.com/

Twitter: @TalesFromLtd, @TalesFromTheVic, @TFTheCity, @TFTRW

Background

“Tales From produces excellent sports books and live events. Lionel Birnie is a journalist, author and Watford fan and Adam Leventhal is a TV presenter, journalist and author.”

Books to read

Tales from the Vicarage (Watford)

Tales from the City (Norwich)

Tales from the Red & Whites (Sunderland)

 

7. Trinity Mirror Sport Media

Website: http://www.tmsportmedia.com/

Twitter: @SportMediaTM

Background

“Trinity Mirror is the biggest publishing plc in the UK and Sport Media is its award-winning sports publishing unit. We work with some of the biggest clubs, organisations and individuals in Britain and have years of experience across the area of sports publishing.”

Books to read

GoodFella by Craig Bellamy

I’m Still Standing by Fabrice Muamba

 

8. Floodlit Dreams

Website: http://www.floodlitdreams.com/

Twitter: @IanRidley1

Background

“Ian worked for many years on national newspapers, including The Guardian, The Observer and The Mail on Sunday, and was Sports Journalist of the Year in 2007. He is also the author of 11 sports books, including the best-selling Addicted with Tony Adams. His latest is A Dazzling Darkness, with the world champion boxer, Darren Barker. He is also a scriptwriter and has for television. Ian is the creator of Floodlit Dreams Ltd, publishers of sports books.”

Books to read

Added Time by Mark Halsey

There’s A Golden Sky by Ian Ridley

 

9. Vision Sports Publishing

Website: http://www.visionsp.co.uk/

Twitter: @SportsVsp

Background

“Vision Sports Publishing is the UK’s leading independent sports book publisher. We set up in 2003 to publish the kind of intelligent and innovative books that we, as massive sports fans, would like to read ourselves and we are extremely proud of our reputation as a publisher of high quality sports books.”

Books to read

The Unstoppable Keeper by Lutz Pfannenstiel

Thinking Inside The Box by Louis Saha

 

10. Birlinn/Arena Sport Books

Website: http://www.birlinn.co.uk/Sport/

Twitter: @ArenaSportBooks

Background

“Arena Sport is Birlinn’s sport imprint and is designed for the general trade. The sport books range from football and rugby, to golf and cycling. Arena’s first titles were published in June 2013.”

Books to read

Diego Costa: The Art of War by Fran Guillén

Shocking Brazil by Fernando Duarte