I've Got Mail

Jeff Stelling, the presenter of Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday, has gathered a selection of the letters and messages he has received over many years. He also recounts the stories behind some of them, drawn from his career in broadcasting and his life around football.

The book begins with a telegram that reached him while he was playing football. His mother ran out to find him with it, and it asked him to go to Leeds at once to cover a Leeds United against Middlesbrough match because someone named Bernard Gent had been taken unwell. It was the only telegram he ever received, and he suggests it set the course of his working life.

From there the book looks at the wider world of correspondence, from the post and emails that mostly bring bills, offers and unwanted sales pitches to the rarer personal messages that matter more. Most of his mail now comes from strangers asking for a birthday greeting or an autograph. Some letters are emotional, some are angry, and some entrust him with matters the writers might not share with their closest friends. Nearly all of them address him by name in the same way.

The book will appeal to football fans and readers interested in sports broadcasting, particularly those who enjoy personal stories that mix humour with feeling.