NO ORDINARY JOE

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

15 Nov

NO ORDINARY JOE

Rochdale fans will soon have the chance to meet their midfield hero, two-time cancer survivor Joe Thompson.

Event details: WHSmith, Rochdale. Thursday 29 November 2018, from 16.00.

Darkness and Light: My Story, is the heart-wrenching, soul-stirring autobiography of footballer and two-time cancer survivor, Joe Thompson.

His mother’s battle with mental illness and father’s descent into a life of drugs and crime saw him battle adversity from birth. Football opened up a new world of opportunity when Manchester United signed him aged nine. Joe spent six years living every boy’s dream but was left devastated when the club released him at 16. He bounced back to forge a career in the Football League, before his life was thrown into turmoil. At 24, he was diagnosed with cancer.

Six months of chemotherapy followed, which eventually rid his body of the disease. He resumed his career, but three years later he was given the shock news that his cancer had returned. An 18-day stay in an isolation unit reduced him to skin and bone, but he vowed he wouldn’t be beaten. Joe again gave cancer the boot before returning to the pitch and scoring the goal which saved Rochdale from relegation on the final day of the season.

The soul-stirring autobiography of footballer and two-time cancer survivor, Joe Thompson. Read Darkness & Light, and discover:

How a traumatic childhood saw his mum battle mental illness, father go to prison and brother nearly die in a hit-and-run accident
The story of his eight years at Manchester United, including a run-in with Sir Alex Ferguson and a football lesson from Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes
How his life and career were threatened when he was diagnosed with cancer aged 24, shortly after his daughter’s first birthday
How he defied medical advice to come through a gruelling pre-season and win a contract at Bury less than two months after leaving hospital
The shock of finding out he had cancer for a second time, three-and-a-half years after receiving the all-clear, and how he continued to play for three months after
How an 18-day stay in an isolation room nearly broke his mind and body and why he credits a vegan diet for helping him to beat the disease
What happened when he met Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino as he battled to make a second comeback
The story of the incredible moment he scored the winning goal to keep Rochdale in League One on the final day of the 2017/18 season

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Darkness and Light