Michael Hardcastle is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 author of sports fiction for children

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

. He has written more than one hundred and forty books on a range of sporting subjects but is probably best known for his books about Association Football. In 1988 he was awarded an MBE

MBE

MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...

 in recognition of his services to children's literature.

Education and early Career

Hardcastle was born in Huddersfiled and was educated at the nearby Almondbury Grammar School

Almondbury Grammar School

King James's Grammar School was a grammar school on Saint Helen's Gate in Almondbury, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.-History:The school was founded as chantry school in 1547 and received its name and a royal charter in 1608 by three men who travelled on horseback to London to get a royal...

. Due to ill health he was unable to take part in much sporting activity and instead spent time in the school library where he developed a passion for English literature particularly the works of Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...

 and W.E. Johns. He later became editor of the school newspaper The Almondburian. When he left school he joined the Royal Army Educational Corps

Royal Army Educational Corps

The Royal Army Educational Corps was a corps of the British Army tasked with educating and instructing personnel in a diverse range of skills...

 and served for five years, travelling to Kenya and Mauritius. In 1956 he joined the Huddersfield Examiner as a reporter. Later he worked for the Bristol Evening Post

Bristol Evening Post

The Bristol Evening Post is a newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, Northern Somerset and South Gloucestershire....

 as a diarist and literary editor

Literary editor

A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews. A literary editor may also help with editing books themselves, by providing services such as proof reading, copy-editing, and literary...

, and then for the Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool Daily Post

The Liverpool Daily Post is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Friday and is published in Merseyside, Cheshire, and North Wales editions, and is a morning paper...

 as chief feature writer in 1965.

Writing

It was while working at Liverpoool Daily Post that he published his first book Soccer Is Also a Game

Soccer Comes First

Soccer Comes First is a 1966 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle...

later published as Soccer Comes First

Soccer Comes First

Soccer Comes First is a 1966 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle...

in 1966 to coincide with the World Cup

1966 FIFA World Cup

The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. This book, along with others written early in his career deal with Professional Football notably the fortunes of the fictitious Scorton Rovers and their star player Andy Blair. Others, including the Mark Fox series written in the 1970s and 1980s, focus on amateur football and tell of the trials and tribulations of youth football teams. Hardcastle has also written about many other sports including Showjumping, Cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

 and Speedway

Motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

.

Selected Bibliography

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• Soccer Is Also a Game
  Soccer Comes First
  Soccer Comes First is a 1966 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle...
  
  also published as Soccer Comes First
  Soccer Comes First
  Soccer Comes First is a 1966 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle...
  
  (1966)
• Shoot on Sight (1967)
• Goal
  Goal (novel)
  Goal is a 1969 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle. It is the third in a series of books focusing on the fortunes of fictitious English football team Scorton Rovers.-Plot summary:...
  
  (1969)
• Reds and Blues (1970)
• Don't Tell Me What to Do (1970)
• In the Net (1971)
• Playing Ball (1972)
• Goals in the Air
  Goals in the Air
  Goals in the Air is a 1972 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle.-Plot summary:The book tells the story of Kenny Rider a young striker who plays for fictitious Second Division team Marton Rangers. Kenny manages to break into the first team at the tender age of sixteen and...
  
  (1972)
• Island Magic (1973)
• United!
  United! (novel)
  United! is a 1973 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle. It is the second in a series of books focusing on the fortunes of fictitious youth football team Bank Vale United.-Plot summary:...
  
  (1973)
• Away from Home (1974)
• Free Kick (1974)
• The Demon Bowler (1974)
• The Big One (1974)
• On the Run (1974)
• Heading for Goal (1974)
• Flare Up (1975)
• Get Lost (1975)
• Mark Fox series (1976 −82)
• The Saturday Horse (1977)

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• First Contact series (1977)
• Crash Car (1977)
• Soccer Special (1978)
• Racing Bike (1980)
• Behind the Goal (1980)
• Half a Team
  Half a Team
  Half a Team is a 1980 children's novel by prolific British author Michael Hardcastle.-Plot summary:The book is the sixth in Hardcastle's series about a Junior football League and features recurring characters Nick Abel- Smith and Lester Rowan...
  
  (1980)
• The Gigantic Hit (1982)
• Winning Rider (1985)
• One Kick (1986)
• Snookered! (1987)
• Mascot (1987)
• Kickback (1989)
• Joanna's Goal (1990)
• Lucky Break (1990)
• The Away Team (1992)
• Own Goal (1992)
• Carole's Camel (1995)
• Puzzle (1995)
• The Fastest Bowler in the World (1996)
• Soccer Star (2003)

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