From the publisher:
Hátsó füves - Barangolás a magyar futball rejtett tájain
If we look beyond the sterile world of modern stadiums, the increasingly cold and soulless elite football we should realize that this sport is a great indicator of our everyday life. Especially when we talk about football in the countryside where a match can still be a traditional celebration of local life, a meeting point, something which strengthens identity.
On the other hand, we should be careful using present tense because, with the new forms of entertainment, and the spread of modern tools these local bonds are getting weaker and the role of a village team has gradually changed and started to lose its symbolic significance. However, football is still embedded in society so it can help us to express the joy, humor or the struggle of the Hungarian countryside. Football paints a surprisingly sharp picture of the social challenges these villages are facing. The struggles of small-town education, the exodus of young people, the changing needs of the elderly, the Romas looking for a way out, and the new possibilities of recreational activities. This sport is a mirror of the village: a football team reborn after years of struggle can symbolize the power of the community. In other places, a rusty goal and a weed-infested empty football field might be a symptom of the battle for survival, a demographic dip or an end of motivation.
Our series of articles called Backyard Goals (Hátsó füves – the original Hungarian title) had a sociological and historical approach and used an exceptional array of photos to present how the Hungarian countryside and football intertwined. These were first published on the hatsofuves.nemzetisport.hu website and on the various other platforms of Nemzeti Sport.
The subhead of the series was A journey through the hidden landscapes of Hungarian football. In these articles illustrated by photos and videos, I tried to sum up my experiences and tell the stories I collected during this 15 thousand kilometer journey which led me to Hungarian villages within or beyond the border. Altogether I have visited 145 places in the springs of 2015, 2017, and 2019 with various esteemed photographers.
These photos may be one of the last testaments of the disappearing traditional village football but they are not simply depicting sporting moments, they are also reflexions of our age and society.
Message from Stanchion:
This is a bilingual book. written in both Hungarian and English.
Please note that this is a preorder.
Preorders will close on Monday 29 September 2025 and the order will be placed with the publisher after then. Please allow up to four weeks after this date for orders to dispatch to account for any delays getting the books shipped from Hungary to the UK. Tracking details will be sent as soon as it is dispatched.
If ordered with any other items, your order will be shipped once 'Backyard Goals' has arrived. They will not be sent separately.
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Rézbong Kiadó
31 x 25 cm
Hardback
204 pages
June 2020
Hungarian/English