In a joint project between the University of Cambridge and Cambridge United FC, Footnotes: The Writing of Football seminar series, will bring four speakers to the city in the first months of 2025 to explore, examine and dissect the writing behind the beautiful game...
Spanning non-fiction, journalism and academic writing forms, each speaker will offer a unique perspective from their personal and professional experiences on how writing around football functions, and what it seeks to do in each specific space it finds itself in.
From a dissection of the niche linguistic quirks that exist only in football, to anthropological observations and descriptions of football fans. From writing on football's role as a nation building tool, to writing up interviews with footballers themselves, each event will take attendees deep into their respective world, with audiences invited to engage in discussion and questions at the close. All events are entirely free and open to all.
First up on Friday 24 January at 6pm, we welcome Adam Hurrey, writer and editor at The Athletic, author of two definitive books on the language of football and host of the acclaimed Football Cliches podcast. Adam will join us to discuss the complexities of football writing in an era of oversaturation, the likes of which we have never been privy to and will be joined by Cambridge United CEO Alex Tunbridge.
Speaking about the series, Alex Tunbridge stated, "This exciting series provides the city with the opportunity to look at the beautiful game through a different lens, as two iconic Cambridge organisations in the fields of football and education collaborate. Footnotes forms part of our ongoing strategic partnership and will see four events held early in 2025, which will also include one to be staged at the Cledara Abbey Stadium."
Organiser Dr Joseph Powell, Research Fellow in the Faculty of Divinity at the University, added "Footnotes brings together very different but very interrelated means of writing about football that exist in and around the game itself. Having these conversations between the University and the Club will bring a hugely exciting energy to them."
Free tickets for the first event, featuring Adam Hurrey, which will be held on Friday 24th January at 6pm at Lecture Theatre A (Arts School) Pembroke Street are available here.
Future events in the series will be announced in due course.