Death Match

During the occupation of Ukraine in World War II, players from what had been the Dynamo Kiev football team set themselves up as Start FC and competed in a Nazi-organised league in which they beat all comers with relentless determination.

Despite being half-starved, the Start FC players humiliated one German team after another until finally they were threatened with execution if they did not allow the occupiers to win.

The tragic and appalling consequences of this true story are retold for older children who need extra encouragement and support with reading. As part of a series aimed at reluctant readers the text is of a manageable length and reading level and subject matter is age appropriate and compelling.