Next Stop Hollywood? No Helmets Required

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

20 Aug

Next Stop Hollywood? No Helmets Required

No Helmets Required, Gavin Willacy's recently released book about the 1950s All American All Stars, has been labelled as movie material by talkSPORT's Paul Hawksbee.

Click here to listen to No Helmets Required author Gavin Willacy on the Hawksbee & Jacobs Show.

No Helmets Required, Gavin Willacy's recently released book about the 1950s All American All Stars, has been labelled as movie material by talkSPORT's Paul Hawksbee.

Willacy's tale tells the story of 20 young American footballers convinced by entrepreneur Mike Dimitro to fly off around the world playing rugby league - a game they'd never even heard of.

Hawksbee told listeners "It’s really exciting when a story comes from nowhere. This is movie material – I can’t believe if Russell Crowe reads this he won’t be interested in making a film of it. A cracking read."

Miraculously, the American All Stars competed with the best Australia, New Zealand and France had to offer, and shocked the locals with some stunning victories.

Yet beyond the media circus and celebrity adventures, the All Stars had fights and flings, suffered tragic illness and farcical court cases.

Dimitro's mission to establish rugby league in the United States failed in spectacular fashion - though one All Star went on to win the Super Bowl, one became a Hollywood stuntman and another an Olympic champion.

The book has also received universal acclaim from reviewers:

"Brilliant. A superb book, highly recommended." - Gareth Walker, The People

"A superb book. Retold in a gripping and unique manner. Absolutely staggering... littered with fascinating and unique insights. Highly recommended for any rugby league fan and even non-followers of the sport could not fail to be captivated." - Rugby League World

"Gavin Willacy has produced a stunner of a book, one which I cannot praise enough for its originality and interest. A book which superbly tells of a unique and fascinating event. This true yet almost unbelievable story is told in detail. Any rugby league devotee will relish his tale and won't put it down." - League Weekly

"Brilliant. An amazing story of Mike Dimitro and US rugby league. A great story from any perspective. Damon Runyon meets Eddie Waring! Rugby book of 2013?" - Professor Tony Collins, RFL historian

"I loved it. It's an amazing book, one of the most enjoyable I've read. It's sensational what these guys did." - Ray French, BBC Radio Merseyside

"It sounds like something straight out of Hollywood. Truly remarkable. The layout is absolutely beautiful: unlike anything I've ever seen in a sports book." - James Deighton, BBC Radio Leeds

Click here for more information on No Helmets Required, including a free sample download of the first chapter.