Ian Plenderleith

Born in rural England to Scottish parents, I studied German in the Midlands, became a journalist in London, then moved to Germany to work, but ended up becoming a house-dad instead. From there I went to Switzerland (four years) and the US (16 years) and wrote two football (soccer) books. One is a collection of adult-oriented short stories (For Whom The Ball Rolls, Orion 2001), set in the soccer world, but more about 'being' than playing. Some years later I wrote a historical analysis of the wildly entertaining North American Soccer League of the 1970s - 'Rock n Roll Soccer' was published in the UK by Icon Books in 2014, and will be published by Thomas Dunne in the US this September, 2015. I now live in Germany again - economically, it's best to follow your wife's career than rely on freelance writing as an income stream. During the week I shop and cook and write. At weekends I referee and watch Bundesliga. Whenever I have a single spare second, I pick up a book.