{"product_id":"the-coping-stone-paul-nicholls-9781923236073","title":"The Coping Stone: The First English Soccer Tour of Australia 1925","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Coping Stone-The First English Soccer Tour of Australia 1925\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003etells the little-known but fascinating story of how soccer fought for survival - and acceptance - in early 20th-century Australia. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a sporting landscape dominated by rugby and Australian Rules, football was kept alive in the mining towns of New South Wales and Queensland, fuelled by the passion of working-class migrants. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough the intertwined lives of miner-turned-international 'Judy' Masters, young Australian administrator Syd Storey, a traditional English administrator John Lewis, and visiting Arsenal player Tom Whittaker, Paul Nicholls brings to life a time when the world's most popular sport struggled for legitimacy in a country where it was seen as a foreign game. From the trenches of the Western Front to the coalfields of the Illawarra and the packed grounds of Sydney, this is a story of resilience, ambition, and the long journey to secure the \"coping stone\" - a historic tour by an English team that promised to cement football's place in the Australian sporting landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet against the backdrop of the roaring twenties, and featuring a gun-toting hotel manager, a breakaway professional league and a mysterious robbery, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Coping Stone\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is an extraordinary tale of the first English soccer tour of Australia. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Paul Nicholls\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1923236075\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781923236073\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Fair Play Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/27\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.96lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 8.50w x 0.51d","brand":"Paul Nicholls","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47002134937855,"sku":"9781923236073","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_ad146bd7-98ad-4b0d-9e52-a5ea6a477d4a.jpg?v=1751603188","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-coping-stone-paul-nicholls-9781923236073","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}