Big Con : Australia's Unknown Soccer Pioneer
Overview
He fled a scandal. He built a sporting empire. He left behind a legacy-largely forgotten in his homeland.
Con Jones-born Thomas Shortel-was a bookmaker, a fugitive, a family man, and a genius sports promoter who reshaped Canadian soccer and lacrosse in the early 20th century. Leaving Sydney in disgrace after a Melbourne Cup betting scandal, he arrived in Vancouver and reinvented himself as a sporting visionary. Jones introduced professional soccer to British Columbia, built a stadium, and helped forge North America's first international football links. He was bold, brash, and endlessly ambitious.
Big Con is a gripping tale of reinvention, scandal, and sporting revolution. It's a vivid portrait of a forgotten trailblazer who played a major role in shaping modern sport-and got away with it.
A compelling read for sports lovers, historians, and anyone fascinated by the messy intersection of ambition, identity, and redemption.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781923236318
- ISBN-10: 1923236318
- Publisher: Fair Play Publishing
- Publish Date: September 2025
- Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.22 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.3 pounds
- Page Count: 108
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