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Octopus Publishing Group Hardback English
Whatever will be, will be
Whatever will be, will be: A Matter of Life and Football – Shortlisted for Charles Tyrwhitt Football Book of the Year and Sports Audiobook of the Year 2026
By Felix White
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Finding himself on the cusp of 40, on tour and contemplating his past, Felix takes the unusual step of watching Penrith Town in the first preliminary FA Cup round against Pickering Town. It kick starts a mission that sees him visit a match in every round of that season's Cup, taking in matches at the likes of Dulwich Hamlet, Haywards Heath, Cray Wanderers, Crawley Town, Etihad, Old Trafford and, of course, Wembley. Along the way, we meet all kinds of characters connected to the Clubs, and Felix draws out what football means to these people, how it brings their lives focus and (often misguided) hope, while he explores and re-defines what the 'magic' of the FA Cup actually is. Touching on themes of belonging, aging, childhood, work addiction and coping with the vagaries of modern life, Whatever Will Be, Will Be will resonate with every football fan who understands what it means to give your heart to a club. It is an extremely unique document, both poignant and funny, of what going to watch football, at every level, is actually like. As the book develops into an exploration into footballs uncanny communication between childhood and adulthood, it becomes a story as much about England as it is about English football.
Finding himself on the cusp of 40, on tour and contemplating his past, Felix takes the unusual step of watching Penrith Town in the first preliminary FA Cup round against Pickering Town. It kick starts a mission that sees him visit a match in every round of that season's Cup, taking in matches at the likes of Dulwich Hamlet, Haywards Heath, Cray Wanderers, Crawley Town, Etihad, Old Trafford and, of course, Wembley. Along the way, we meet all kinds of characters connected to the Clubs, and Felix draws out what football means to these people, how it brings their lives focus and (often misguided) hope, while he explores and re-defines what the 'magic' of the FA Cup actually is.
Touching on themes of belonging, aging, childhood, work addiction and coping with the vagaries of modern life, Whatever Will Be, Will Be will resonate with every football fan who understands what it means to give your heart to a club. It is an extremely unique document, both poignant and funny, of what going to watch football, at every level, is actually like. As the book develops into an exploration into footballs uncanny communication between childhood and adulthood, it becomes a story as much about England as it is about English football.