Tackling the pitch: How football chants inspired Andy Lawn’s book

How far can your passion take you? Andy Lawn united his two passions, football and writing, into a book. Now, as Hostinger’s creative copywriter, Andy shares the fascinating story behind his journey to becoming a published author.

When love for football met passion for writing

Andy’s love for football began in his childhood. He was deeply influenced by his father, a devoted Norwich City fan who worked as a safety steward at the stadium.

“From before I could walk, he was taking me in my pushchair to the stadium,” Andy reminisces. “At first, I would sit with him while he worked on the turnstile. And then we would go watch football together. I have just carried on since then.”

While studying politics and media at university, Andy discovered his passion for writing. He enjoyed crafting essays and long-form pieces, realizing the power of words to move readers.

His admiration for Bill Bryson, an author who makes complex topics accessible and entertaining, also inspired him to ditch his plans of becoming a teacher and pursue a career in writing instead.

From a dissertation to a book

While singing an offensive chant about a serial killer during a game against Ipswich Town – his team’s major rival – Andy saw the opportunity to blend his love for football with his passion for writing.

“I suddenly realized what I was singing, and I was really shocked. Men, women, children, grandparents – everyone around me was singing it, and the Ipswich fans were laughing. I thought, why is it okay in a football stadium to sing this horrible song but not anywhere else?” Andy explains.

“This led me to explore the sociology and the politics of football chanting. Why do we sing at football matches, and who makes up these chants? Why are the rules different from everyday life?”

Following hours of research, writing, and editing, Andy handed in his completed dissertation. Writing a book wasn’t part of his plans at that time, and he only realized it could become something more after he spoke about his findings at one conference.

“Someone asked me if this was a book, and I hadn’t considered this possibility. They offered to submit the idea to some publishers, and eventually – almost 3 years later – it was finally ready to be published,” he says.

We lose every week

After almost 1,000 hours of work, We Lose Every Week: The History of Football Chanting was published in November 2020. The book was a success – it was soon sold out on Amazon and in the bookshops, prompting a reprint.

During research, Andy found that the majority of academic work on football fans focused on hooliganism – violent gangs of football supporters and its negative aspects. However, his personal experience said the opposite.

“I knew from watching Norwich for 20 years and having never been involved in any fighting that 95% of the songs fans sing are positive expressions of identity, celebrating your town, your community, and supporting your team,” Andy explains. “It’s a small minority of offensive chants or violent skirmishes which make the news and shape public perception.”

Hoping to bring a new perspective, We Lose Every Week was born. The name of the book comes from one of Andy’s favorite chants, which shows how football can uplift and connect communities even when their team is losing.

“What they’re doing in the chant is that they’re having a bit of fun, they’re laughing at themselves, they’re laughing at the opposition, and they’re bringing themselves together,” he adds. “This, for me, is what football chanting is all about. Making some noise, having some fun, and being part of something bigger than yourself.”

“I hope that from reading the book, people will see the positive aspects of football fandom, which you don’t see a lot of in the media. This is hopefully starting to change as the carnival atmospheres at the recent European Championships show,” Andy concludes.

Overcoming challenges

While piecing the book together, Andy faced many challenges. One of them was that he didn’t write chronologically. Instead, he wrote different parts as new ideas came up.

“The book ended up being about 85,000 words, but I was trying to hold all of it in my head. I needed to make sure that it told a story, and I didn’t jump around,” he recalls.

Editing was another tough part. For such a long book, the process was tiring and time-consuming. “As a writer, the more you read something you have written, the less you see. You start to read what you think is there,” he explains.

Luckily, Andy’s wife is an editor who happily teamed up with him and the publisher’s editor to review the manuscript and guarantee that errors will not make it into the final version.

Four years after it was released, he’s only aware of one minor typo.

A new chapter: Hostinger

Both professional ambitions and personal circumstances shaped Andy’s path to Hostinger. He and his wife planned to move to Spain, but his UK-based job couldn’t accommodate his relocation. This led him to seek a new role that offered the flexibility he needed.

He saw the Hostinger job ad on LinkedIn, and the principle of Freedom and Responsibility caught his eye. “I was drawn to the idea that Hostinger trusted its employees to get their work done to a high standard without micromanaging them,” he explained.

The opportunity to work remotely was another significant factor, allowing him the flexibility to move to Spain.

His alignment with Hostinger’s principles doesn’t end with Freedom and Responsibility. He also values the company’s commitment to High Standards and Customer Obsession.

“Higher standards naturally fit with my work ethic. If I’m going to do something, I want to do it well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Customer Obsession stood out to him as it goes back to his love of Bill Bryson and the idea of making complex subjects accessible and relatable to all types of people, from more to less experienced.

“I think one of the biggest problems all companies face is that they know everything about their product, and they’re passionate about it. But most customers won’t know much, and they certainly won’t care about it as much as you do,” Andy muses.

“So, the challenge is to show them why it’s worth their time and attention. Words and how they’re ordered are very personal to people and can mean different things at the same time. For example, “the child’s egg broke” tells a very different story to “the child broke the egg”. As a copywriter, you have to balance a lot of competing priorities in order to convey the right message in the right way.”

Interested in working at Hostinger? Check out our Career page and apply today.

The golden lesson

Writing a book gave Andy a valuable lesson, which he now brings to the Hostinger team.

“Writing a book taught me to accept that sometimes the words will come easily and sometimes they won’t. When they won’t, it’s better to step away and return with fresh eyes,” he shares. “I learned to recognize when to take a break and approach tasks with a renewed perspective.”

Andy believes this approach enhances his productivity and ensures the quality of his writing remains at the highest standards, benefiting the entire team.

The next chapters

Despite the success of his book, Andy doesn’t see himself writing another one anytime soon. “It was the hardest thing that I’ve ever done, and I don’t think I’ve got it in me.”

To fulfill his passion for writing about football, he contributes to a football, travel, and culture magazine called Glory. His passion for football also led him to coach a semi-professional team in his new Spanish hometown.

If you’re inspired to become a writer, Andrew offered some valuable advice.

“Write as much as you can, in as many places as you can. Also, read as much as you can. You will naturally pick up different styles and ways to say things.” he shares. “Finally, don’t take rejection or negative feedback personally. It’s easier said than done, but try and learn from it and keep improving.”