Soccerheads

By Frank Bogna

Sammy’s just moved into town. New school. New kids. New soccer team. Sammy’s not sure he’s going to fit in because he’s the weakest link. Everyone’s better than him and there’s a lot of pressure to win the title. He’s made friends with Hammo Ammo and Buck the Truck, and brought along a secret weapon called Ruff. Will that be enough? Will he last the season? Sammy decides to give himself the biggest job of his life to make sure he lasts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank Bogna
• Release date: Feb 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9780987483102

Frank Bogna

Frank Bogna lives in Queensland, Australia with his wife, kids and many pets. He started writing the Soccerheads series of e-books three years ago. The stories are based on real kids and events, although they have been spiced up a bit with some crazy situations and characters. He has been coaching soccer for many years, and still plays (but not very well). He follows soccer with the Australian A-League, but likes to see the odd AC Milan or Chelsea game. His spare time is taken up coaching, writing, reading other author's books and trying to keep fit with his kids.

Book preview

Soccerheads Frank Bogna

Published by Frank Bogna at Smashwords

© Copyright 2014 Frank Bogna

The right of Frank Bogna to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Australian Copyright Act 1968.

It remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Mention of specific organisations in this book does not denote endorsement by the publisher nor that the organisations endorse this book.

Series, illustration and design copyright 2014 by Frank Bogna

Cover design: Tom Marshall

Illustrations by Frank Bogna

A special thanks to Caitlin, Phoebe, William, Alexander, Amelia, Rosanna and Alex for reviewing the book. You kids are awesome!

Other titles in the Soccerheads series:

Soccerheads

Soccerheads 2: Double Trouble

Soccerheads 3: At the Academy

Soccerheads 4: The climb back up

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – We are the Soccerheads

Chapter 2 – First game

Chapter 3 – Don’t just boot it

Chapter 4 – Too much ammo, Hammo!

Chapter 5 – Marchflies get bitten

Chapter 6 – The Rotten Roosters

Chapter 7 – Kids from outer space

Chapter 8 – Oh no, not Lefty!

Endnote – Why ‘Soccer’ and not ‘Football’

About the Author

Books in the Soccerhead series

Connect with the author online

1.We are the Soccerheads

The hum deepened as Buck accelerated, the gap between him and the goal closing fast. His whirring hum changed into a droning truck. Buck the truck, shifting gears into overdrive.

‘Dghshhh, Gghhsshhh, Chuggah Chuggah’ boomed Buck as he bolted down the field. Two midfielders cringed and cowered away. A brave defender tried a tackle. Ping! Catapulted into oblivion.

The ball thundered into the back of the net, and so did Buck, its mesh pressed firmly against his cheeks. Too much acceleration, too little brake. Buck is a truck. Buck is a Soccerhead, and so am I. I just wish I was more like Buck, more like the other Soccerheads.

#

My name is Sammy. I am just an ordinary kid living in an ordinary place called Urbanville, somewhere in Australia.

Nothing else has been so ordinary lately. Things have changed. Big time. Ever since I moved house, came to live in Urbanville and I joined the Soccerheads.

Last year, I was nobody, just another kid playing for Mooshy United Soccer Club, but like I said, things have changed. Now, I’m a Soccerhead, just like Buck and all the other Soccerheads.

Let me explain. I’ve started playing for a new team The kids have got more zing and zip, more skill and style than you will see just about anywhere. I want to be as good as they are, and maybe one day I will be. But for now, I’m on their team, they’re becoming my new friends and that’s what counts.

We have a normal team name, the Unicorns. You’ll see that one at our club and in the League Ladder. Our real name, our secret name is the ‘Soccerheads.’

When I first heard it, I went berserk. Internally berserk. That’s when your brain’s about to go pop!

‘Are you kidding me?’ I said to myself. That’s an awesome name.

The Soccerheads have made a pact to never ever share their name with anyone. No grown-ups, no other kids and not even Mr C, our coach.

When I first started training with them, they took a whole two weeks to tell me their secret name!

Two weeks!

‘We didn’t know if we could trust ya,’ said Hammo, the first Soccerhead to make friends with me.

Only our team mascot Ruff knows our real name. He can never tell anyone though, because he is a dog. Ruff comes to training and most games. That is a picture of Ruff and me. That’s me on the right.

I never had many friends until I joined the Soccerheads. I was a bit jittery about joining a new team, you know, moving from another part of town. Mum and Dad broke up last year and we had to move house.

Mum took me to the sign on for the Unicorns. You should see the size of the club when we turned into the car park. Three big fields. Change rooms. A big canteen. It was huge. Mooshy had nothing. Just one Mooshy soccer field.

Those butterflies in my belly were getting extra jittery, so I dreamed up a heap of excuses.

‘I really don’t want to play Mum.’

‘They’ve got enough players.’

‘Their coach will be hopeless.’

Mum wouldn’t listen, so I piled on the pain with some pretty good reasons.

‘I don’t want to go Mum. I’ll muck it all up and then the kids won’t like me. The team won’t want me.’

‘They’ll