WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025: MARCH NEWSLETTER

Welcome to March’s William Hill Sports Book of the Year newsletter.

This month sees some huge sporting occasions, including the Cheltenham Festival, which wraps up tomorrow, and Sunday’s EFL Cup final between Liverpool and Newcastle.

It’s also a busy month of reading as the entries flood in for this year’s Sports Book of the Year competition.

In this newsletter, we’ve got details of the latest Book Club podcast, plus some titles to consider as more sporting action unfolds.

WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK CLUB

Every month, the William Hill Sports Book Club discusses current or previous entries on Talksport. This month, Adrian Durham and Neil Foggin are joined by Daisy Christodoulou, the author of I Can’t Stop Thinking About VAR.

Almost every other sport in the world has managed to integrate technology into its decision-making process. So, why is football failing so badly? This captivating book takes a look at one of football’s most-controversial topics, how it has changed the game and how it could be improved.

Watch the podcast here.

WHAT TO READ THIS MONTH

March is all about the Cheltenham Festival – the biggest four days of Jumps racing, the greatest show on turf. Elsewhere, there’s tennis at the Miami Open, golf’s Players Championship, plus the culmination of the Six Nations.

Here are some books to whet your appetite:

Cheltenham

• Doped: The Real Life Story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang (2013 Winner)

Jamie Reid’s gripping true-story racing thriller set in Britain in the 1950s and early 1960s. Combining a potent mix of horseracing, drugs, sex, class, crime, gambling and the monarchy, it tells the true story of one of the biggest doping scandals in British racing history.

• Seabiscuit: The True Story of Three Men and a Racehorse (2001 Winner)

A tale of equestrian achievement and the Great Depression, Laura Hillenbrand’s book pays tribute to a crooked-legged horse and the three individuals who transformed him into a champion.

• Nicky Henderson: My Life in 12 Horses (Sports Book Club 2024)

National Hunt Champion trainer Nicky Henderson shares behind-the-scenes stories of the dozen most extraordinary thoroughbreds that have defined his glittering career.

Miami Open

• Althea (2023 Shortlist)

Former Boston Globe reporter Sally H. Jacobs tells the story of a tennis pioneer. This first full biography of Althea Gibson reminds the world that she was a trailblazer, a champion, and one of the most remarkable Americans of the 20th century.

• The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation (2024 Winner)

Painting a vivid picture of the social dynamics on tour, the economics of the game, and the shadows cast by gambling and doping, The Racket is a witty and revealing underdog’s memoir and a unique look inside a fascinating hidden world.

Players Championship

• A Good Walk Spoiled (1995 Winner)

John Feinstein’s acclaimed behind-the-scenes account of an unusually turbulent year in the punishingly competitive world of the US professional golf circuit.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Here are some of the main dates for the 2025 William Hill Sports Book of the Year:

• Closing date for entries: Friday, 29th August 2025
• Last day for books to be received: Friday, 5th September 2025

Books must be published between 1st October 2024 to 30th September 2025 to be entered.

GIVEAWAY

Want to get your hands on a great sports book? Check out @BookiePrize on X or Instagram for the chance to enter our giveaways.