Bill Shankly
“Let me try and explain why football is so important to me, and why it becomes more rather than less important to me as I get older. My family is from Liverpool in the northwest of England and my father used to train at Liverpool Football Club’s training ground in the early 1950s until an ankle injury curtailed his career. Dodgy ankles meant he had to wear Chelsea boots for the rest of his life, although he looked kind of stylish in them. My mum tells me that I could kick a ball before I could walk and the main plank in my somewhat tempestuous relationship with my dad was football. Until he died late in 1994—indeed during the final weeks of his illness—it was the only thing we talked about sensibly at any length. When we discussed politics, we would always end up shouting at each other. As a kid, I remember long car journeys to and from games where we would analyze every facet of the game in anticipation (on the way there) and reflection (on the way back) with scientific, almost forensic, detail.” ROADS & KINGDOMS
Working Class Ballet (2009)
“In Working Class Ballet, the young Latvian director Roberts Vinovskis takes viewers deep into the thrilling world of international football. See why fans the world over, from Philosophers to drunken hooligans, love the world’s greatest sport with so much vigour and passion. If you’re new to soccer, or have been wondering what all of the buzz is about, don’t miss this chance to see an artistic and intelligent look at this incredible sport.” Eurochannel
YouTube: Working Class Ballet trailer – Documentary film by Roberts Vinovskis
Football Quotes
Working Class Ballet