{"product_id":"the-coping-stone-the-first-english-soccer-tour-of-australia-1925-paperback-1","title":"The Coping Stone: The First English Soccer Tour of Australia 1925 - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003ePaul Nicholls\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Coping Stone-The First English Soccer Tour of Australia 1925\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003etells the little-known but fascinating story of how soccer fought for survival - and acceptance - in early 20th-century Australia. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a sporting landscape dominated by rugby and Australian Rules, football was kept alive in the mining towns of New South Wales and Queensland, fuelled by the passion of working-class migrants. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough the intertwined lives of miner-turned-international 'Judy' Masters, young Australian administrator Syd Storey, a traditional English administrator John Lewis, and visiting Arsenal player Tom Whittaker, Paul Nicholls brings to life a time when the world's most popular sport struggled for legitimacy in a country where it was seen as a foreign game. From the trenches of the Western Front to the coalfields of the Illawarra and the packed grounds of Sydney, this is a story of resilience, ambition, and the long journey to secure the \"coping stone\" - a historic tour by an English team that promised to cement football's place in the Australian sporting landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet against the backdrop of the roaring twenties, and featuring a gun-toting hotel manager, a breakaway professional league and a mysterious robbery, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Coping Stone\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is an extraordinary tale of the first English soccer tour of Australia. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.51 x 8.5 x 8.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 27, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47292764848377,"sku":"9781923236073","price":34.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/2782\/3097\/files\/4rDFM6Qeqp9781923236073_2f2c62b9-9848-497c-85a3-8f7f4d957759.webp?v=1769170910","url":"https:\/\/bookscloud.io\/products\/the-coping-stone-the-first-english-soccer-tour-of-australia-1925-paperback-1","provider":"BooksCloud Book Dropshipping","version":"1.0","type":"link"}