With spring coming into full bloom, there can be few better ways to while away the time than leafing through a new book in the ever-strengthening sunshine that heralds a changing of the seasons.
These are busy sporting months, of course, too, with the Six Nations conclusion around the corner, the Masters at Augusta soon upon us and cricket kit being dug out and dusted off up and down the country.
In a crowded market of tales of great players, matches and sporting stories, it can be hard to decide what to buy. Here are six of The Independent’s favourites that you should consider picking up:
On the Record and On the Ball: How Elite Coaches Master the Media
In On the Record and On the Ball, Tim Percival comprehensively covers a topic under-represented in literature with real depth and flair. How elite coaches manage the media, an increasingly broad catch-all term, can be vitally important in high performance environments, as Percival knows – the communications chief has worked with master manipulators like Eddie Jones and Warren Gatland, and speaks to a great many more figures at the top of their sports in an illuminating piece of work. There are plenty of striking tales and pearls of wisdom – and not just for those with elite sports teams to run.
Published 20 August 2025| Fairfield Books | 9781915237668
RORY: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf's Most Human Superstar
Alan Shipnuck’s last golfing biography hit the headlines after an excerpt revealed some ill-judged comments on Saudi Arabia from Phil Mickelson, who would join LIV Golf just months later. One would not expect anything quite so dramatic to come out of his latest book but Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf's Most Human Superstar should be just as fascinating. A biography of Rory McIlroy comes a year after he fulfilled his grand slam destiny in apposite fashion at Augusta with the most dramatic of Masters wins. While Mickelson, who lost several sponsors, probably won’t be buying it, we’d certainly recommend it.
Published 7 April 2026 | Simon & Schuster UK | 9781398552593
Sticky Dogs and Stardust: When the Legends Played in the Leagues - The Third Innings
Pretty much anyone who has played club cricket will have a story of a titan playing below their standard, a past star perhaps cut down to size or proving themselves a class apart. This writer, for example, once encountered former Bangladesh seamer Sajedul Islam in the lower divisions of the Sussex League – and still has the broken bat to prove it. When Scott Oliver gathered the material for his first book, it must quickly have become clear that Sticky Dogs and Stardust: When the Legends Played in the Leagues would not be a one-off – his “Third Innings” should be packed with just as many interesting anecdotes and insights into the idiosyncratic world of life at lower levels.
Published early May 2026 | Fairfield Books
Ellie Kildunne: Game Changer
How does it feel to be the face of a World Cup win on home soil? Only a select few sportspeople in history know the answer to that question, with Ellie Kildunne joining that group after starring in the Red Roses’ Twickenham triumph last September. Her upcoming autobiography Game Changer will chronicle her journey from a Fernando Torres and football-obsessed youngster in West Yorkshire to a force for good in a sport changing around her, all with Kildunne’s trademark alternative look at life and superstardom.
Published 9 April 2026 | Ebury Spotlight | 9781529990140
Pots of Gold: A History of Snooker
With the 100th anniversary of the first World Snooker Championship a year away, there is no better time to delve through the sport’s rich history, from its origins in India during the British Raj right through to the proliferation of Chinese players in recent years. Dave Hendon, a long-time commentator and successful playwright, is a skilled, sharp and passionate narrator of snooker’s ups and downs, uncovering a number of new details about some of the greats of the game.
Published 25 September 2025 | Swift Press | 9781800753525
World Cup Fever: A Footballing Journey in Nine Tournaments
The upcoming Fifa World Cup promises to be bigger and stranger than any that has gone before, a complex tournament at a complex time that may have ramifications beyond just football. Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper has covered every tournament since Italia ‘90 and is thus a qualified guide through editions past ahead of an alternative, expanded World Cup this summer.
Published 2 October 2025 | Profile Books | 9781805224105
Scotland replacements backed to perform in tight Six Nations finale
Ireland have ‘good edge’ ahead of three-way shootout for Six Nations title
Kyle Walker brings end to England ‘dream’ after announcing international retirement
The shift in strategy behind England’s bid to salvage Six Nations against France
Useless and luckless Igor Tudor is Spurs’ figurehead of failure – it’s time to go
Michael Johnson accused of paying himself $500,000 as Grand Slam Track collapsed
