Jamie Cleland is a Lecturer in the Social Science department at Loughborough University, UK.

This book examines the historical, social and cultural complexities of the game of football (also known as soccer) across Europe, Africa, Asia and North and South America, and charts how these can be studied in greater detail by placing the world's most popular sport in a global context. This approach subsequently allows for an analysis of the key developments within football in the twenty-first century on a chapter-by-chapter basis. The themes of the chapters each highlight the different social and cultural changes football has seen, often over a very short period of time.

Introduction 1. Football in Context: Industrialism, Urbanism and Global Diffusion in History 2. Violence and Aggression: Has Football Always Been Violent? 3. The Global Game in Transition: FIFA and the Governance of Football 4. "Race," Racism and Whiteness 5. Gender: Football Culture in Transition? 6. Rupert Murdoch and the Financial Revolution of Football 7. The Changing Nature of Football Fans 8. Celebrity Football: The Transformation of Players from Local Heroes to Global Superstars 9. The Global Game: The Development of National Football Leagues Across the World