Bamboo Goalposts

Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. 'Highly unusual and very entertaining' – Irish Mail on Sunday Rowan Simons has lived (and played football) in China for over twenty years. He presents and works with Beijing TV and runs his own media company, but his real passion is getting China to embrace amateur football – which isn’t easy in a country where for decades it was illegal for more than ten people to congregate for the purposes of a recreational sporting activity. Bamboo Goalposts is an amusing and insightful account of what it’s like to live, work and play football in China, communicating with wit and humour what contemporary China is like when viewed through Western eyes. Rowan's love of the country and its people shines off every page. He has lived there for so long that he understands what it takes to get ahead, but at the same time, he is still very much an English football fan who just wants to share his passion for the beautiful game. Bamboo Goalposts is a personal odyssey inspired by the selfless pioneers of amateur football who took the game around the world in centuries past, but somehow missed China.