Football Travel By Outside Write

My guest is Will Wardrop, otherwise known as 'Will in Brazil' over on Instagram. He's based in the capita, Brasilia, and we're discussing groundhopping in Brazil *outside* of the two main cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. We discuss matches in Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Goiânia, and Bahia in the north of the country. Will gives us his groundhopping tips for foreign visitors to Brazil, plus a few anecdotes from his time out there.

I am joined for a third time by Dr Pete Watson from the University of Leeds to discuss the ultimate grudge match in World Cup history, certainly from one side, at least. We're discussing Argentina versus England at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on 22 June 1986.  It was the first time the two countries had met since the acrimonious Malvinas/Falklands Conflict four years earlier. Argentina famously won it with two of the most famous goals in history from Diego Maradona in the space of five minutes early in the second half. England almost pegged it back after John Barnes' brilliant impact off the bench, but it finished 2-1 to the South Americans.  There is so much to unpack in this match, from international diplomacy to conversations about colonialism. 

I welcome Christopher Hylland, author of 'Tears at the Bombonera', back onto the podcast to discuss his new book, 'Dame Bola: A Journey Through the Language of Argentinian Football'. We look at the origins of some of the key words in the Argentine game and explore the wider culture of the matchday ritual.

My guests are Sam Kelly and Daniel Edwards from the Hand of Pod podcast, which focusses on Argentine football. I met up with Sam and Daniel while I was down in Buenos Aires and asked them about their experiences as foreigners getting to know the Argentine game and what foreign visitors - especially those who don't speak any/much Spanish - need to know.

In this podcast, I speak to Fernando Romero Nuñez, a sports journalist with the Buenos Aires Herald, about the evolution of Argentinian national identity and where football fits into that. We look at the emergence of the sense of an 'Argentine identity' in the 19th century, the growth of football and local-founded clubs.   We also discuss the 'sibling rivalry' with Uruguay and how that differs from Argentina's clashes with Brazil. We look back at 'La Nuestra' ('Our Thing'), and the clashing styles of Cesar Menotti and Carlos Bilardo, both World Cup winning coaches.    Also, what does the 2022 World Cup win say about Argentina today?

I was in Buenos Aires recently and visited a number of places that I had already written about in my first book, Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World. In this episode, I was priveleged to have access to the British Cemetery in Buenos Aires, the Buenos Aires English High School, where football was pioneered, and spoke to a historian at Quilmes Atlético Club, the oldest club in Argentina that is still playing.

I'm joined by Niamh O'Mahoney from Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and JulieAnn Thomas from Fulham Lillies. We look at fan cultures within women's football and the challenges in attracting fans. We also look at women fans within the men's game. What can be done to attract more women to the men's game and more men to women's football?

I welcome Alex Ireland back onto the podcast to discuss his new book on Manchester sports manufacturer, Umbro, which celebrated its centenary in 2024.    

My guest is Dave Proudlove, whose new book 'Work and Play' looks at the relationship between the workplace and English football. How pivotal were factories in the foundation and maintenance of clubs within communities and how did that relationship get lost over time? 

My guest is Michael Hamlin, who runs the 80s90sFootball Twitter/X account, focussing on football nostalgia. Michael and I discuss the fall and rise of Brighton & Hove Albion. We both stood on the terraces of the old Goldstone Ground and Michael followed the club in its nomadic period and recalls the hard-fought move to the Amex. Brighton is now an established Premier League club and even experienced European football for the first time in 2023/24.

I welcome Belgrade-based Kirsten Schlewitz back onto the podcast for a third time to discuss the politics of identity in the Balkan region before and after the break-up of Yugoslavia. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review or rating on your preferred podcast platform. You can support the pod further by buying me a coffee. All support is hugely appreciated to keep the podcast coming.

My guest is Luka Lagvilava, whose @GeorgianFooty feed on Twitter/X has become an extremely popular resource on football in Georgia, especially when the former Soviet state made its European Championship debut in 2024.  I chat to Luka about the history of football in Georgia, the country's clubs, its greatest players, the international scene, the politics, and get his groundhopping tips for visitors. It's a fascinating insight into the Georgian football scene.

My guest is Derek Air, whose book 'Land of the Giants' explores Subbuteo culture. We're talking ahead of the Subbuteo World Cup 2024, hosted in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, where the game was invented. 

Everton is one of the grand old names of English football. Founder members of both the Football League (1888) and the Premier League (1992), Everton have the second-longest run in the top-flight of English football after Arsenal, with seven decades without a relegation - although they have come close.  I discuss Everton's history with author Rob Sawyer and the club's legacy in South America with Jimmy Milner from The Ruleteros Society, focussing on the friendship between Everton in England and their namesake in Chile, Everton de Viña del Mar.

I'm joined by Claus Bermann, whose company Rome Derby organises match tickets and tours for groundhoppers visiting the Italian capital to watch AS Roma and SS Lazio matches, or meetings between the two - the 'Derby della Capitale' (the Derby of the Capital).

I am joined by Christopher Evans, author of 'Los Leones', a book on the history of Athletic Club de Bilbao. We're looking at the Basque Derby - Athletic Club v Real Sociedad. It's an iconic derby wrapped up in fierce Basque identity.

My guest is Ceylon Andi Hickman, director of the charity Football Beyond Borders (FBB). We're discussing how football is making a positive change to young people's lives, especially in their education. The charity has worked with footballers, including Marcus Rashford and Chris Smalling, and is proven to help children do well at school. Ceylon is also a centre-half for Dulwich Hamlet Women, so we also discuss the progressive culture around the South London club. They have been promoted since the time of recording, so congratulations to them.

My guest is Marius Helgå as we discuss groundhopping in Norway. It's Western Europe's longest country at 1,750km with clubs stretching from the south right up to the Arctic Circle. We discuss some big names like Vålerenga, Lyn, Odds, Viking, and Bergen, plus some smaller clubs and the national side. We also look at Norwegian fan culture and its influences, cheifly drawn from England and Germany.

My guest is Aidan Williams, whose new book 'Euro 1984: The Greatest Tournament You Never Saw'. Back when the Euros was a proper elite eight-team tournament, France provided a sublime and dramatic tournament spearheaded by Michel Platini, who bagged nine goals in just five games as France won its first major tournament.

My guest is Ben Jackson, whose book The Africa Cup of Nations: The History of an Underappreciated Tournament came out in time for the 2024 edition of AFCON. We look back at the tournament's roots, its key moments and players, plus where does it go from here?