Cass Pennant facts for kids

Carol "Cass" Pennant (born 3 March 1958) is an English writer. He is known for his books and work related to football fan culture.

Early Life and Challenges

Cass Pennant was born in Doncaster, Yorkshire. His mother had moved from Jamaica while she was pregnant. When he was just six weeks old, he was placed in a Dr. Barnardo's Home.

Later, Cass was fostered by an older white family in Slade Green, Greater London. He was the only black person in the area. He has shared that he faced a lot of bullying and tough times growing up. People would often shout at him, even strangers.

His birth name was Carol, which is a common male name in some parts of the West Indies. However, it was unusual for a boy in the UK, and this also led to bullying, especially at school. Cass decided to change his name after watching the famous boxer Muhammad Ali (who was then known as Cassius Clay) win a fight. He chose the name Cass.

From Fan Groups to Film

Cass Pennant is very tall, standing at 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm). In the 1970s, he was part of a well-known group of football supporters called the Inter City Firm (ICF). This group was connected to the English football club West Ham United.

It was quite remarkable for Cass to become a leader in the ICF, especially because there was a lot of racism in Britain during the 1970s and 1980s. Despite this, he rose to a top position within the group.

Cass faced legal consequences for his involvement with these groups. In 1980, he was sentenced to four years in prison. This was the longest sentence given for football-related group activities at that time. After spending time in prison again later, he started a business providing security for nightclubs in London. During his work at a nightclub in South London, he was injured in an incident.

In 2002, Cass Pennant appeared in a TV show called Football's Fight Club. This show was about football fan groups in the 1970s. He has also worked as an expert for other TV shows, like The Real Football Factories.

Cass also helped with the 2005 drama film Green Street, which was about football fan culture. He even had a small role in the movie as a police officer.

In 2006, a documentary was made about his life called Cass Pennant - Enough Said. Then, in 2008, a film based on his life story was released. It was called Cass, and Nonso Anozie played Cass Pennant in the movie. Cass has also written introductions for other books about football fan culture.