Background
Hardcastle was born in Huddersfiled and was educated at the nearby King James"s Grammar School, Almondbury.
Hardcastle was born in Huddersfiled and was educated at the nearby King James"s Grammar School, Almondbury.
He has written more than one hundred and forty books on a range of sporting subjects but is probably best known for his books about Association Football. In 1988 he was awarded an Administration Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to children"s literature. Education and early Due to ill health he was unable to take part in much sporting activity and instead spent time in the school library where he developed a passion for English literature particularly the works of Charles Dickens and West.E. Johns.
He later became editor of the school newspaper The Almondburian.
When he left school he joined the Royal Army Educational Corps and served for five years, travelling to Kenya and Mauritius. In 1956 he joined the Huddersfield Examiner as a reporter.
Later he worked for the Bristol Evening Post as a diarist and literary editor, and then for the Liverpool Daily Post as chief feature writer in 1965.