Andy pens book on football’s first superstar and subject of Netflix series
A Scottish football historian from Dunblane has published a biography of one of the leading characters in a new Netflix series about football’s first superstar.
Andy Mitchell has penned the story of Arthur Kinnaird, featured in the new The English Game series.
Kinnaird was one of the most influential figures in football in the Victorian era, captaining Old Etonians to FA Cup glory after their famous cup tie against Darwen in 1879 and was described as‘without exception, the best player of the day’.
He took part in nine FA Cup finals
– a record to this day – and played for Scotland and was president of the Football Association for 33 years.
He was such a dominant figure that he was presented with the original FA Cup in gratitude, and “did more to popularise soccer than any man who ever lived”.
Kinnaird’s life and contribution to the formative years of football are revealed by Andy Mitchell, a former head of communications at the Scottish Football Association, who has written several books on sporting history and was a consultant to the Netflix series because of his expertise on early football.
He said:“Many people have seen Arthur Kinnaird brought to life in The English Game and I think they will be fascinated by his true story. He was much more than a bit of a toff who dabbled in football.
“He first played primitive football in the 1860s, and became not just a superb player but a major influence in the development of the game.
“If you are interested in football history, this book is for you.”