Lance Hardy

Lance Hardy was a writer and television producer.

He worked at numerous sporting events around the world including six World Cups, four Women's World Cups and four Olympic Games.

A former BBC Sport editor and produer, he was the England Men's team producer at several major football tournaments and an early champion of women's football.

He collaborated with darts legend Bobby George to write Bobby Dazzler, voted Book of the Week by the Independent in 2006 and was shortlisted for Football Book of the Year in 2010 for Stokoe, Sunderland and '73.

He co-authored Footballer with Kelly Smith in 2012 and Interesting with Steve Davis which was shortlisted for Autobiography of the Year in 2016.

The 1973 FA Cup final between Sunderland and Leeds was the first televised football match he ever saw and it was instrumental in his lifelong devotion to the club.

Lance passed away in August 2021 from an inoperable brain tumour. He was 53.