The deal is announced in time for football fever to explode once again across the globe with the upcoming kick off of the World Cup this summer.
Pedigree Toys & Brands and Penguin Random House Children’s Licensing are delighted to announce a global publishing deal for the Shoot! football brand under the Puffin imprint. Brokered for by its agent Lisle Licensing, Penguin Random House Children’s Licensing has secured global rights to publish a variety of Shoot! Book formats for three years.
Aimed at young readers the publishing programme begins with Shoot: World Cup Legends, publishing in May, which is the first book in afast-paced illustrated mono series. The title is filled with facts about the most well-known men’s football stars, alongside quizzes, goals and Jamie Orrell’s bold illustrations that bring the non-stop action to life. Shoot Football Legends: Mohamed Salah and Shoot Football Legends: Chloe Kelly will publish in July, with more to follow later in the year.
Since 1969, Shoot! has been part of football’s rich fabric, earning itself the name ‘The Voice of Football’. For generations of fans, it was their weekly must-have magazine, trusted for its nonpartisan views, opinions and exclusive news & interviews covering all aspects of our beautiful game! Shoot! is loved by millions of fans now of all ages.
Many famous names including Bobby Moore, Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, George Best, Paul Gascoigne and even Joe Cole and Danny Mills wrote exclusive columns, articles and skill tips for Shoot!.
Shoot! offers a unique platform for football as it is completely nonpartisan and covers all clubs, competitions, countries and players for both the men’s and women’s game across the globe!
55 years on, Shoot! remains as at the top of its game with a website and social media following that generates millions of views each year plus a robust consumer products portfolio including publishing (the leading football Annual), gifting, greetings, games and apparel. The deal will further enrich Shoot!’s rich publishing history with a variety of new formats that will further delight and engage football fans.
“Not many brands have the trusted status and heritage that Shoot! has earned itself in the beautiful game of football over the last 6 decades! Football is one of the world’s biggest passions and Shoot! offers instant brand recognition and is respected by millions of fans of all ages.” said Matthew Reynolds, MD at Pedigree Toys & Brand. “We are thrilled to be working with the team at Penguin Random House Children’s Licensing who are experts in creating publishing ranges that will continue to build deeper engagement and brand loyalty by fans of all ages.”
Kieran Jones, Editor, Licensing, said “We’re excited to bring football fun and facts to young fans everywhere through the iconic Shoot! brand, with a dynamic range of accessible, top-quality books. Launching during the National Year of Reading and in the build-up to the World Cup, this engaging new series taps into the excitement of this cultural moment — inspiring kids to read more about what they love and helping spark a lifelong passion for reading.”
Puffin will publish Shoot! World Cup Legends on 28th May 2026 in paperback, and Shoot Football Legends: Mohamed Salah and Shoot Football Legends: Chloe Kelly will follow on 30th July, also in paperback.