Publisher's Synopsis
In June 2017 Northampton Town FC announced that a Chinese firm had agreed to purchase a majority stake in the club. Could supporters finally dream of life beyond the lower divisions? Would the club be in danger of losing its identity? Was this simply the latest twist in the soap opera of supporting the Cobblers? When football legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink arrived at Sixfields a few weeks later, the plot thickened. The club's modest profile was being challenged. Was NTFC's ever repeating cycle of occasional success followed by long periods of mediocrity or failure about to be broken? Could this be the dawn of a new era? Marshall examines aspects of football which reach beyond NTFC: football as business; fan ownership; the ever-evolving power of social media; the mental health and safeguarding of players; racism, football franchises and B teams; the demise of the FA Cup; glass ceilings and transfer windows; referees, laws and the use of technology; ground safety and redevelopment; the changing nature of towns and football clubs in the 21st century. 'Ambition, if not expectation, has gone through the roof...The Cobblers are entering a new era.' (Paul Doyle, The Guardian)
