Football Podcasts: A Brief Guide

The football season has started and for most it’s been a long summer without it. The confederations cup did its bit, pre-season had the odd highlight and a few big transfers got us excited, but now the real business begins. 

Last season, one thing that changed the way I keep up to date with the game we all love was the football podcast. Free to download through iTunes, I discovered that there was a lot of football media out there to keep me amused between matches.

So to help you prepare or if your team has already kicked off, here are a list of the top five football podcasts that can keep you up to date with the beautiful game….

5. The Game Podcast—Times Online

This weekly podcast, anchored by comedian Phil Jupitus, provides a detailed look into the events of the top-flight football of the weekend. Released every Monday, the knowledge and analysis of pundit Gabriele Marcotti is second to none and his views and insight alone make this podcast worth a listen.

Not afraid to speak his mind and not beat around the bush like a lot of the television football pundits that we see, Marcotti shows his intelligence on a consistent basis and you have to wonder why he is restricted to this Podcast.

The same can’t be said for many of the other guest pundits with the exception of Amy Lawrence, who participates from time to time, and while Jupitus does well in moving the podcast along, his football knowledge isn’t as impressive as other sports presenters.

However, the major letdown for this podcast is that it is only released once weekly and this can be frustrating when they try to recap on the midweek fixtures from the previous week.

With the football fixture congestion that we see in the game nowadays, the coverage on the likes of Champions League matches are old news and have been discussed in other media beyond necessity by the time they get to it.

On an international footing this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it covers all bases, unfortunately when trying to fit the events of a whole week in one episode, the end result is that the recent news gets less coverage than it would on a lot of The Game Podcast’s competitors.

4. ESPN Soccernet Podcast

Three times a week, longer in length, and looks beyond the Premiership—this is why this podcast edges out most of its competitors.

This is obviously recorded with a US audience in mind and the weekly US Soccer Show (Friday) takes a detailed look at all of the talking points in the MLS, while also looking at the progress of US nationals that are playing around the world, all which gives the listeners decent coverage on their domestic front.

That said, Premier League football is still more popular in the US and the British presenters for the two main shows (Monday and Thursday) gives a sense of authenticity due to the fact that they all have a wealth of knowledge and support Premier League clubs.

Although the latter could have been a major downfall, the positive is that their views don’t seem to be extremely biased towards their clubs and a sense of professionalism remains amongst the occasional banter, while the continual mix up of the participants keeps the episodes fresh.

An effort is also made the cover the other major European leagues with experts giving regular updates from Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

3. BBC World Football—BBC World Service

Staying away from the over exposed Premier League day-to-day, football transfers and managerial changes, this podcast is for anyone that has a keen interest in subjects behind the scenes, around the world and at the grass roots level of football.

With the feel of an in-depth radio documentary, the segments are approached with impartiality and this provides a healthy balance. Recent episodes looked at topics such as the referees respect campaign, the selling of club licenses and the effect that the recession has had on the lower leagues and players without a club.

Recently there was an in depth look at Liverpool’s tour of the far east and the unfair balance of enjoying the economic benefits of touring in Asia verses giving the Asian supporters value for money.

2. Football Weekly—The Guardian

Hosted by the humourous James Richardson (Football Italia and Setanta) this podcast has a similar layout to ESPN Soccernet’s and its priorities are similar with the Premier League coverage being at the top of the bill.

The difference is that it’s a bit more fun. The coverage comes from a host of the football writers from the British press and the European football coverage is a lot better.

Sid Lowe gives in depth coverage from Spain in most episodes and Raphael Honigstein does the same in Germany—both know their football and aren’t afraid to speak their mind, however controversial their views are, while they are happy to join in with the in-studio banter as well. We even hear about Sid’s dog from time to time.

Barry Glendenning is a particular highlight with some of his unusual stories and questionable views on the game, while the informal feel and the freedom of honesty that you get doesn’t come in Football programmes on TV.

The Football Weekly podcast is a good listen and can be downloaded twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

1. The Football Ramble

This is the most downloaded football podcast around at the moment and you only have to listen for a few minutes to see why. The words that spring to mind are “banter” and “honesty” with this podcast, making you feel like you could be down the pub, chatting with mates about the game. Apparently it all started in a kitchen.

Currently fortnightly, the Ramble is going weekly from the start of the football season and the regular features will all be there.

The Dean Windass hall of fame—a player profile that looks at legendary players or teams from the past (Recently Eusebio, Dennis Bergkamp, St Pauli, FK Start) in detail, funny stories from around the world, (mainly South America) opening questions like “Who is your favourite pony-tailed footballer?” and “What was your first ever football kit?” and general catch up and discussion on recent football events will all be included.

Like Football Weekly the views and opinions are honest and the “say what you’re thinking” style means there is no tip-toeing around certain subjects like the on-screen pundits have to. 

The best thing about this podcast is how authentic it —it’s clear that they are a group of good mates and within any group there is a lot of banter between them. There is plenty of ribbing each other as well as respect and even a bit of love. These guys know their football as well.

Lukey Moore, Marcus Speller, Pete Donaldson, and James (or Jim) Campbell are four guys worth listening to. If you love your football, you’ll love this.