2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
British writer Cass Pennant is the founder of the independent film production and marketing company Urban Edge Films. He has established himself in both the television and film industries, and is the author and co-author of several UK bestsellers. His former street life and history of football hooliganism has inspired many readers. Pennant also regularly visits prisons and schools, where he speaks with prisoners and students and encourages them to avoid hooliganism and street violence.
Childhood
Pennant's mother emigrated from Jamaica during her pregnancy and he was born in Doncaster, Yorkshire. She left him at the age of six weeks. The boy was placed in Dr. Barnardo's orphanage. He was raised by an elderly white family in Slade Green, Kent. There he was the only black person in the area, and where, he claims, he was intimidated from day one year after year and constantly beaten: “Not only other children, but the whole city. Imagine being hated as a child. Complete strangers in cars yell at you.”
Cass Pennant was christened Carol. A common male given name in some parts of the West Indies,but an unusual name for England. (It is the Irish equivalent of the name Charles). His biological mother was also the reason for bullying, especially at school.
After watching boxer Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali's real name) beat Henry Cooper, he changed his name to Cass, after the black boxer he wanted to be associated with.
Inter City Firm (ICF)
Cass, 195 cm tall, was a member and leader of the Inter City Firm (ICF) football hooligan gang, associated with the English football club West Ham United in the 1970s. Cass Pennant's story is remarkable given the level of racism that was prevalent in the UK in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s. Kass managed to rise to the top and become one of the ICF generals despite being black. He began to arrange fights and riots in support of his team. He was eventually sentenced to four years in prison in 1980. He was the first to receive a lengthy sentence for football hooliganism.
After Jail
Following his second prison sentence, the former football hooligan took up legitimate work as a taxi owner, house painter and decorator. He also worked as a bouncer on the doors of the rudest London clubs. Subsequently, he began to manage a security company providing services for nightclubs in London. While working in one of these nightclubs, he was shot.three times. After nearly getting killed, Cass decides that a violent job is no longer a good fit for him.
Writing career
In 2002 he wrote his autobiography Cass Pennant. The book is about his childhood; how he saved world boxing champion Frank Bruno from a knife attack; how he was wounded three times in the chest, and he continued to fight; on his leadership of the notorious West Ham Intercity Firm.
The book received fairly high marks from critics. "This is much more than memories of football stands fighting, pub breakouts and details of battles across the UK while following the Hammers." - Jim Lafayette.
The same year, Cass Pennant appeared on Channel 4 in Football Fight Club, a documentary about football hooliganism in the 1970s. He has been a consultant for television programs such as The Real Football Factories. He also made a cameo appearance as a police officer in the 2005 football hooligan drama film Green Street Hooligans.
In 2006, he wrote The Best Boys: The True Stories of Football's Strongest Men.
Cass Pennant also co-authored books such as:
- Rolling with Crew 6.57: The True Story of Pompey's Legendary Football Fans, 2004;
- Terrace Legends, 2005;
- Good afternoon gentlemen, 2006;
- "30 Years of Pain: A History of the Englisharmies of hooligans”, 2006;
- "Want some aggro?", 2007;
- "The story of "Zulu" Patterson, one of Britain's deadliest men" 2013.
In 2006, the documentary Cass, directed by Liam Galvin, was filmed about him. The film was nominated for the British City Film Festival's Best Documentary Award. In 2008, his autobiography Kass, which details his tumultuous youth, was the basis of a British feature film of the same name directed by John S. Baird and starring Nonso Anozie as Pennant..
In 2010, Cass starred in the film Killer Bitch. He also wrote the foreword for Colin Blagne's The Unwanted Things about Manchester United football hooligans. Posted a short article about Manchester United's rivalry with West Ham.
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