The People's Game cover art

The People's Game

The bestselling book about the future of football from England and Manchester United legend Gary Neville - perfect World Cup reading

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

The People's Game

By: Gary Neville
Narrated by: Mark Hadfield
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £15.79

Buy Now for £15.79

The Sports Book Award-winning true story of the beautiful game.

'The closest thing to a spokesman there is for English football.' Sunday Times

It's time to fix football . . .

Football is the people's game. A sport accessible to everyone and enjoyed by millions around the world.

But football is broken. Beneath the glamourous sheen of the Premier League, it's a game that's rusting and rotten. The growing influence and wealth of the biggest teams is harming the game, leaving fans out of pocket and smaller clubs clinging to survival. The European Super League, which looked to eradicate competition in favour of guaranteed profits, was just the beginning.

This isn't what football is about. Something's got to change. Enough is enough.

Gary Neville has had a front-row seat in football for over 30 years, witnessing the sport at every level - as a player, a coach, a pundit and an owner. Most of all, he's a fan. Shocked by the state of the game, Gary looks to find out how we got into this mess, who's responsible, and what we can do about it.

The People's Game is Gary's vision for a brighter future. Drawing on interviews with those at the epicentre of the sport's biggest issues - from the role of ownership to the lack of funding in the football league, the rise in racism, ownership models and the future of the women's game - he explains how football has sleepwalked into this mess and offers a new path forward. With stories from his own playing career, as well as insight into some of the biggest footballing decisions in recent history, this is a total look at the game today.

This is a passionate, personal and critical account of how football lost its soul, and what we can do to get it back.©2022 Gary Neville Football (Soccer) Sociology of Sports Sports Game Survival
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
This is one of those books you are better off reading… if like me you love your football and a fan of Gary Neville too then it doesn’t have the same impact with a narrator. At least with a book you can imagine Gary telling the stories and hearing his opinions in your own head if you know what I mean… I’ve had to stop and will buy the book to appreciate the points he wants to get across better. The voiceovers for his colleagues in the re-enactments and their own input/segments to the book are cringeworthy. Think for Jamie carraghers it’s a Scottish guy trying to do a scouse accent.. just couldn’t continue listening. But take nothing away from the book itself and it’s certainly a topic that needs more understanding, discussion and a better understanding of before the fat cats try to ruin our beautiful game any further.

Not for audio

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Enjoyed the book and as a football fan I
Loved the description of the enjoyment of actually going to a game with his dad when he was
a little Boy - I appreciated that memory.
Respected the fact that Gary having researched the book he had the ability to change his mind on certain issues within the game.That proved to me that his fundamental interest is his passion for the game at all levels.

Passion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
a range of voices representative of voices in the football community on all things football governance. has a Neville slant, but understandable.
still worth a read

Great summary of views on football governance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent listen. Balanced and well structured. Recommended. A must listen for all lovers of football in this country.

Excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great content as you'd expect from Neville, but not the same without him narrating, despite being listed as so when preordering. Gave up when someone trying to do a Scouse accent started to narrate Jamie Carragher's part. Will return and buy the book instead.

Neville, but disappointingly, without Neville

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews