HESKEY ON SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint.
They do all the great Got, Not Got series
and plenty of other retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising
sports book publishers and remains a beacon
of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect"
commissioning of boxing material stands
as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

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, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most.
Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching
designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Orient to the Emirates, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative
ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books.
They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise
to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands
around the world to get into the sport of triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run & Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads
was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing
expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't
and realise that interest in football extends beyond the
Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious,
seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and
matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!, Natural

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with,
contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge
and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it,
using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped
make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got series of books

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football,
channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping
some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

27 May

HESKEY ON SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST

Emile Heskey's book Even Heskey Scored has been shortlisted for the Autobiography of the Year at The Telegraph Sports Book Awards 2020.

Heskey is nominated alongside his one-time forward partner for Liverpool and England Michael Owen and England cricketers Ben Stokes and James Anderson.

The announcement describes the book as a "brisk story of a largely unsung player loved by his team mates, who overcame fierce criticism to live the football dream. It is a compelling read, concluding thoughtfully that racism remains a blind spot for many people."

The Telegraph Sports Book Awards are judged by an outstanding group of sports celebrities, broadcasters and journalists.

The judging panels for 2020 include: Louise Minchin, Christine Ohuruogu, Simon Halliday, Sir Tim Rice, The Rugby Writers Association, Jill Douglas, Simon Brotherton, Jacquie Beltrao, Adam Smith, Brian Moore, Darren Gough, The Football Writers Association and Rishi Persad.

The winner of the Autobiography of the Year will be announced at the 18th edition of The Telegraph Sports Book Awards, held in late September at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The ceremony features ten award categories and is filmed for a highlights programme shown on Sky Sports channels 1, 2 and 3.

Even Heskey Scored is the revealing autobiography of former footballer Emile Heskey. From humble beginnings, Emile became one of Leicester's favourite sons, as part of Martin O'Neill's swashbuckling misfits.

In five years he won promotion, four top-ten Premier League finishes and two League Cups. England called, as did Gerard Houllier and an £11 million move to Liverpool, enabling Emile to form a memorable partnership with Michael Owen for both club and country.

Then came the trophies - six of them, including the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. Heskey's England career saw him play in two European Championships and two World Cups as part of the Golden Generation, earning 62 caps and scoring seven times - including the final goal in the 5-1 demolition of Germany.

He went on to play for Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, Newcastle Jets and Bolton Wanderers, notably donating £100,000 to save Leicester City from extinction. Even Heskey Scored is the story of a largely unsung player, loved by his team-mates, who overcame fierce criticism to live the dream.

The full shortlists for the awards will be announced on June 17th 2020, where we reveal the shortlistees for the remaining nine categories, including the inaugural Children’s Sports Book of the Year.

Autobiography of the Year Shortlist 2020
They Don’t Teach This by Eni Aluko (Yellow Jersey)
Bowl. Sleep. Repeat by James Anderson (Octopus Books)
Behind the Mask by Tyson Fury (Century)
Reboot by Michael Owen (Reach Sport)
How Not to be a Professional Racing Driver by Jason Plato (Michael Joseph)
Even Heskey Scored by Emile Heskey (Pitch Publishing)
On Fire by Ben Stokes (Headline)