More Than A Shirt
On sale
19th June 2025
Price: £24.99
‘Extensively researched and wonderfully written, Joey’s book deserves to be read by all’ Martin O’Neill
‘There’s more to every aspect of football than meets the eye, and that’s brilliantly captured here’ Adrian Chiles
‘Intelligent, thoughtful and brilliant’ Chris Mason, BBC News
‘Colourful… a treat for anyone interested in football and politics’ Patrick Maguire, The Times
‘Original and innovative… a “Parts Unknown” for the game’ Miguel Delaney, Independent
‘Smart, warm and original’ Matt Chorley, BBC Radio 5 Live
______________________________
Twenty-Two Football Shirts that explain the world, geopolitics and the biggest stories of our time
Football is the world’s most popular sport, and the shirts worn by teams and their supporters are its greatest means of cultural expression. Every year clubs launch new kits with increasingly extravagant marketing campaigns and convoluted explanations of how their designs reflect their history and local community. But football shirts are much more than just a symbol of which club we support. A seemingly innocuous combination of colours, sponsor logos and materials can all reflect the social values, financial struggles and political ideologies of the day, as geopolitical issues increasingly seep into every aspect of the game.
Investigative journalist Joey D’Urso has travelled across the globe, combining on-the-ground reporting with unparalleled analysis to collate a list of the twenty-two football shirts that best explain the modern world. More Than A Shirt will take fans on a journey from Birmingham to Belgrade and onto Medellin and Mumbai, outlining how we can see the war in Ukraine in the shirt of Schalke in Germany or China’s foreign policy in West Bromwich Albion’s; how the shirts of state-owned clubs are used for sportswashing; and why the French national kit embodies worldwide migration patterns.
A compelling and eye-opening exploration, More Than A Shirt is essential reading for any football fan and will change the way you think about the beautiful game’s most universal symbol.
‘There’s more to every aspect of football than meets the eye, and that’s brilliantly captured here’ Adrian Chiles
‘Intelligent, thoughtful and brilliant’ Chris Mason, BBC News
‘Colourful… a treat for anyone interested in football and politics’ Patrick Maguire, The Times
‘Original and innovative… a “Parts Unknown” for the game’ Miguel Delaney, Independent
‘Smart, warm and original’ Matt Chorley, BBC Radio 5 Live
______________________________
Twenty-Two Football Shirts that explain the world, geopolitics and the biggest stories of our time
Football is the world’s most popular sport, and the shirts worn by teams and their supporters are its greatest means of cultural expression. Every year clubs launch new kits with increasingly extravagant marketing campaigns and convoluted explanations of how their designs reflect their history and local community. But football shirts are much more than just a symbol of which club we support. A seemingly innocuous combination of colours, sponsor logos and materials can all reflect the social values, financial struggles and political ideologies of the day, as geopolitical issues increasingly seep into every aspect of the game.
Investigative journalist Joey D’Urso has travelled across the globe, combining on-the-ground reporting with unparalleled analysis to collate a list of the twenty-two football shirts that best explain the modern world. More Than A Shirt will take fans on a journey from Birmingham to Belgrade and onto Medellin and Mumbai, outlining how we can see the war in Ukraine in the shirt of Schalke in Germany or China’s foreign policy in West Bromwich Albion’s; how the shirts of state-owned clubs are used for sportswashing; and why the French national kit embodies worldwide migration patterns.
A compelling and eye-opening exploration, More Than A Shirt is essential reading for any football fan and will change the way you think about the beautiful game’s most universal symbol.
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Reviews
One of the best books on football I have ever read.
Extensively researched and wonderfully written, Joey's book deserves to be read by all.
One of the most original and innovative football books in some time, a "Parts Unknown" for the game, as well as football business and football culture. Joey's unique writing is perfect for that Bourdain role. You might be familiar with some of the shirts, but some of the stories from the brilliant on-the-ground reporting within will astound you. A book that will both enthral and seriously educate.
Joey D'Urso is a fresh voice and a tireless reporter, who takes the reader from China to Colombia via Nottingham. He's the first person to use football shirts to explain the world, and does it convincingly. Kudos and respect.
Smart, warm and original... it will make politics nerds think differently about football, and football fans think differently about the world.
A meticulously researched book that reveals plenty about football and even more about the modern world.
Without question, Joey is one of the most intelligent and thoughtful journalists I've ever worked with. This book encapsulates Joey's brilliance as a journalist: big thinking and relatable - local, global, political, sporting. What does a rectangle-ish of colourful, sweaty polyester tell you about the contemporary world? One heck of a lot, it turns out - about belonging and identity yes, but geopolitics and economics too. This book is a brilliant idea, brilliantly researched and brilliantly written.
Whether you binge it or snack on it, if you like football, football shirts, history or politics, you'll find lots to love in this eye-opening and insightful book, and you'll feel smarter for having read it. Fascinatingly detailed and painstakingly researched, with a real passion for the beautiful game - especially watching matches of all levels at stadia across the globe - that shines through.
A day at the football is usually an escape from politics - but Joey D'Urso's revealing reporting reminds us that it's never quite so simple. This colourful book is a treat for anyone interested in both... or neither.
There's more to every aspect of football than meets the eye, and that's brilliantly captured here.
An engaging, original, insightful and introspective examination of football's relationship with politics and power. Joey helps us understand how football and the world operate.