Be My Guest

Be My Guest' is a tribute to the many football superstars who have played club football in Australia, as well as the simple, elegant but often flawed logic that bringing football superstars to Australia will provide a turbo boost to Australia's domestic football competition - whether that be the NSL or the A-League. From Australia's first guest star in Alex 'Sandy' Young from Tongala in 1914, through to household names such as Ossie Ardiles, Trevor Francis, Bobby Moore, Nicola Berti and George Best, Jason Goldsmith and Lucas Gillard recount the background and steps to get the superstars here, and how the players, fans and competition benefited - or, in too many instances, didn't. It is a book that will bring fond memories who remember the players and the times, as well as a welcome addition to the pantheon of Australian football and social history that serves as a reminder of what, or who, worked as a marketing strategy and who didn't. The authors give special thanks to Australia's small band of football historians who have dedicated many (mostly) voluntary hours poring over scanners and spreadsheets for the love of the game and whose work helped make the book possible.