The book publisher has confirmed plans to publish the comedy performer and writer’s account of running a non-league football team.
Transworld Publishers have announced the publication of Nowhere to Run by Jonathan Sayer, best known as writer and performer as part of Mischief Theatre, set for release on the 18th May 2023.
This new book follows the first year of Sayer’s co-ownership (alongside his dad) of his local football club, Ashton United FC. As they struggle to keep the club afloat, the record number of games without a win sees hope turn to despair as Jonathan contends with a mutiny from a group of octogenarian supporters, constant battles with the local council and a star striker who arrives on crutches despite somehow passing his medical – making him realise the scale of the struggle that lies ahead.
Henry Vines, Editorial Director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from David Luxton at DLA. He said: “Every football fan has a soft spot for the non-league game and the quirks, characters and contests at the grassroots level of the sport. To have a writer of Jonathan’s talent immerse us in that world and explain its inner workings is a complete pleasure. With his own money on the line and the hopes and despairs of a community on his shoulders, his memoir is a brutally honest and wildly entertaining insight into the running of a football club.”
Talking about the news, Joanthan Sayer said: “I’m delighted to be able to bring together two of my biggest passions, the world of comedy and the world of football. Becoming the chairman of Ashton United FC with my Dad (David) has been both a dream come true and a living nightmare and I’m so excited to get to tell the story and make people laugh along the way.”