The subjects of soccer and history are rarely brought together, but this app – or, as it practically is in all but name, digital book – unites them in quite spectacular fashion. Both soccer fans and history buffs could be in their element with developer Leading Brands’ enlightening look at the story of The Beautiful Game.
Many fans of football, as soccer is especially commonly dubbed in Britain, could be surprised to learn that this sport has origins dating back centuries; the first page of the Kick-Off book includes a photo of a stone carving depicting a “keepie uppie” in Ancient Greece. Pages dedicated to the much more recent history of organized football include video footage of old games that can make you feel like you are right there.
There’s a huge amount to flick and scroll through here; it’s certainly a good idea to consume the abundance of text and multimedia material here gradually, rather than hurriedly flick through it, in order to soak up the amazing amount of trivia. The pages take in soccer history chronologically – detailing various interesting players, games and tournaments up to the early 1960s.
Kick-Off is available strictly for iPad, with no iPhone version available. The information and graphics certainly feel like they have been especially optimized to make good use of the iPad’s screen, which – even on the iPad Mini – is conveniently close to the size of a typical print book. So, if you’re fanatical about soccer, history or both, download this app for just $0.99 and settle down for some quality reading.
