A new book to be published this November entitled ‘Off-Centre Circle’
chronicles the journey of a young soccer obsessive from
kicking a stuffed sock in his hallway as a toddler right through to
togging out for an Over33 summer soccer league this past summer.
Every weekend thousands of Irish men, women and children up and down
the country take to their local pitches to compete in junior soccer
league competitions. You won't find any Arab Sheiks offering millions
of euro in investment here or post-match interviews with satellite
television stations. In most instances you will be lucky to find
changing rooms or even adequate shower facilities. Yet for ninety
minutes every Saturday or Sunday Irish amateur soccer league players
cross that white line and give it their all as if it was as important
as an English Premier League fixture and their very lives depended on
it.
Where does a love affair with the game of soccer begin? What possesses
an individual to play through the pain barrier, the years of knocks
and injuries for absolutely no financial gain? Why go through weekend
after weekend of dodgy refereeing decisions, deplorable weather and
being embarrassed by opponents half your age? Pride, passion and
downright obsession, that’s why.
This soon to be released book offers an insight into the life of a
junior soccer player with recollections and memories through the eyes
of the author who has trained, played, obsessed, written about and
cried over his beloved sport. The author recounts his life-long
fascination with the game from childhood through teenage years
culminating in the story of his local club's rise to glory in the West
Cork Soccer League.
Born and raised in Cork the author recounts early memories of watching
Match of the Day, playing Subbuteo, reading Roy of the Rovers comics
and travelling to support his beloved Cork City in the Shed end of
Turner’s Cross, chanting and singing with the home fans.
The book also covers the author’s early years playing Under-18 soccer,
breaking into the local junior team for the first time and then
fainting. Playing matches on the side of mountains with cow dung
dotted around the pitch, going toe-to-toe with Vinny Jones on the Late
Late Show and helping his local club rise from the bottom tier of the
West Cork League to eventual Beamish Cup glory.
Anyone who has ever laced a pair of boots on the side of the road and
marched on to a muddy pitch (after a night on the beer) to represent
their local soccer club will forge an immediate connection with the
stories and characters detailed in the book.
Anyone who has ever wondered what possesses a junior / amateur soccer
player to continue playing well past their sell-by date will find out
the reasons why.
You have read all the various soccer titles telling you stuff you
already know but this new book gives you a look at something
different.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
Ger McCarthy is a lifelong soccer obsessive and regular contributor on
local and international soccer to the Evening Echo, Southern Star and
West Cork People newspapers as well as the award winning Cork City FC
match day programme 'City Edition'.
Based on the urgings of fellow players, referees, supporters, doctors
and complete strangers, he finally announced his retirement from
active playing duties following a junior soccer career that spanned
well over a decade.
The 2009 West Cork League junior soccer campaign represented his fifth
consecutive year of coming out of retirement. During the course of
completing his book the author sustained a dislocated shoulder, a torn
muscle tendon as well as two dislocated and fractured fingers. He
can’t wait for the new season to start.
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