New book: “Grade Five: When Footy Became Everything”

I’ve released a new book, Grade Five: When Footy Became Everything. 

It’s aimed at middle-grade readers and their parents. Taking the form of a journal written by a footy-mad Grade Five kid, the book details the trials and tribulations of an Under 12s Australian rules footy season.

Grade Five: When Footy Became Everything is a tall story that is grounded in the real world. The humour is often over the top yet the experiences and emotions of junior footy are frequently authentic.

If you’re raising a footy-mad kid, or you can remember being one, this is a book for you. Set in 1991, Grade Five: When Footy Became Everything gives young readers a taste of AFL footy when it was expanding as a national competition but still played largely at suburban grounds.

A backdrop of events — from the Adelaide Crows entering the competition, to Tony Lockett storming to 100 goals — will be nostalgic for older readers.

Why did I write this?

I’ve long realised that I have an almost perfectly distilled memory of the 1991 AFL season. It was the first — and perhaps, the only — year in which I followed every game, read every news report and soaked up every statistic (at least, it sure felt that way). It was also my first year playing competitive footy on a Saturday morning.

So much was happening and it stands out in my memory as the year when footy really was everything. Like Zac, the narrator of this journal, I was 10 years old and I lapped up as much of it as I could.

Like Zac, I also faced challenges. The biggest was the realisation that I was not all that good at footy. You can imagine, or perhaps even know yourself, how shattering that is.

But the good news is two-fold. First, humour drives this tale, ensuring it doesn’t get too bleak. Second, Zac is a determined kid with a lot of good qualities. This helps him win out in the end (though rarely on the scoreboard).

Zac’s not a footy star, but he’s the star of this story. This is not a typical zero-to-hero sports story in which the main character defies all obstacles to become a sporting champion.

Instead, the glory is in finding fun and enjoyment in footy. A lot of that comes through friendship.

What are the influences?

I wanted to make fun of myself in a caring way, really. I suffered severe footy (and cricket) fever when I was young, to the point that sport was all I thought about well into my teenage years. That’s likely a relatable experience for many people (and their parents).

The 1991 AFL season and the format of an Under 12s footy season provide the infrastructure for Zac’s journalling. But the story and characters are complete works of fiction.

In terms of writing, Sue Townsend is a big influence. There’s something wonderful about the journal/diary format that allows humour to flow freely. Short, sharp entries, with surprise beginnings and cliffhanger or punchline endings, are so much fun to write.

Other influences in terms of capturing the humour of upper primary school are Max Dann, especially his Dusting in Love novel, and the television version of Little Lunch.

Where is it available?

Right here. It’s published only as an ebook, through the Kindle store. This is my first foray into Kindle Direct Publishing.