Broadcasting giant Sky recently revealed plans for a string of new documentaries at the Edinburgh Television Festival. Among them is a feature on one of England’s heroes at the 1966 World Cup, Geoff Hurst.
Source: Pixabay
What Have They Revealed So Far?
The information we have so far is limited, although we know that the title of this documentary is Hurst: The First and Only. It will run for 120 minutes and is to be produced by Matthew Lorenzo Productions. This was one of seven new documentaries they mentioned at the festival, with others including Whales with Steve Backshall and Secret World of Sound. The documentary on the former footballer will be shown on Sky Documentaries and on their Now streaming service.
Geoff Hurst is best known for being the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final, as his three goals against West Germany in the 1966 final at Wembley helped England to win the trophy. However, the documentary is going to be focused on the ups and downs that Hurst has come across in his personal life, from the loss of loved ones to being out of work just a few years after he scored his most famous goals.
Sky promises that we’ll get the story told to us by Hurst’s friends, peers and the people who were close to him during the major events. This means we can look forward to seeing the likes of Harry Redknapp, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer. Indeed, it’s billed as more of a human story than a football documentary, as we get to see his life away from the pitch like never before.
The Growing Importance of Football in Popular Culture
We’ve seen the beautiful game move into many different aspects of popular culture lately, thanks in part to movies like I Believe in Miracles, Looking for Eric and the TV series The English Game on Netflix. The success of the Ted Lasso TV show has also introduced the game to a new audience and shown how the sport can be the basis for light-hearted shows as well as dramas and documentaries.
The growth of sports betting is another element and it can be seen on the SBO website, which confirms that the UK has over 8,000 betting shops as well as a big selection of online betting sites such as 888 Sport and Unibet. These sites provide welcome offers, allowing newcomers to start wagering with free bets or other bonuses. Football is the most popular sport for British punters to bet on, but the likes of cricket, rugby and other sports are also available.
In terms of video games, the massively popular FIFA series of titles has sold over 300 million copies and is listed as the best-selling sports video game franchise in history. Following the FIFA 23 game to be released in September this year, the name will change to EA Sports FC and FIFA will put their name to a new game with a different publisher.
Source: Pixabay
More About Geoff Hurst
Born in Ashton-Under-Lyne in 1941, Geoff Hurst began his football career with West Ham, after deciding to focus on the sport when his cricket career failed to take off. He played alongside Bobby Moore to win the FA Youth Cup in 1959 and was soon earning £7 a week as a professional player. His football career really took off once he was moved into the striker position, as he scored 40 goals in the 1965-66 league season.
Of course, the World Cup was where Hurst became a household name, having made his international debut earlier in the year. He didn’t start as a first-choice striker in the World Cup, but an injury to Jimmy Greaves pushed him into the team for the quarter-final against Argentina, where his header was the only goal. After the semi-final win against Portugal, there were calls for the fit-again Greaves to start in the final but Hurst was again selected.
In the final, Hurst equalised and then scored two of the most famous goals in English football. First, he gave England the lead with a powerful shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced out. Known as the Wembley Goal, the question of whether it crossed the line or not has divided opinion ever since then, as seen on the official FIFA site. Finally, the striker scored the iconic fourth goal as invaders ran onto the pitch.
The Geoff Hurst documentary provides us with more evidence that people are keen to get extra football content into their lives. It should provide some interesting moments and insights for long-term fans and also for those who don’t know much about Hurst and are keen to learn.