Shades of Green: A Journey Into Irish Football

Join acclaimed football writer Chris Lee on a journey of discovery around Ireland to learn about one of the world’s oldest soccer cultures.

• How did Association football - denounced as a ’foreign game’ by some - fair after the traumatic split of 1921?
• Who were the pioneering Irish players and coaches that helped spread the game around the world?
• What is the matchday experience like for groundhoppers?
• What’s happening in Irish women’s football today?

Eager for answers, Chris travels around the island in search of historical stadiums, lost clubs, vibrant fan cultures, symbolic murals and more. From the tifos of Dublin’s oldest derby to George Best’s living room, Chris talks to fans, historians and academics to get the inside track on the Irish football story.

Along the way, Chris uncovers a complex tale of politics, identity and division, but also one of hope, reconciliation and glory.

Chris Lee is the founder and editor of the football culture blog and podcast Outside Write. Shades of Green is his third book, following Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World (2021) and The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism (2022). He has also written for several football outlets, including Football Weekends, Glory and HalbVier.