My guest is BBC journalist Alex Bysouth, whose new book, Football for the Soul, covers his search to rediscover 'the beauty in the beautiful game'. It's a journey that takes him to Bilbao, Naples, Paris, Cambridge, and elsewhere.

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

I am joined by Brendan Madden, otherwise known as 'Fútbol es La Leche' on social media. His new book, Once Upon a Time in La Liga, is a brilliant collection of short stories of lesser known incidents and characters from Spanish football history. 

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Alan McDougall, whose latest book, Dreams and Songs to Sing, is a people's history of Liverpool FC. We discuss the club's role in the city and abroad, Liverpool's identity, and how the club's success has often been at odds with the city's fortunes.

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

I am joined for a second time by Christopher Evans, author of Los Leones, the definitive biography in English of Athletic Club de Bilbao, to discuss the incredible story of several Basque refugee children who came to Britain to escape the Spanish Civil War and ended up becoming prominent footballers.

This is the post I referenced in the interview about the Clapton Community Football Club International Brigades away shirt. 

The second part of the podcast is a talk I gave recently on the history of football against fascism for Brigata Ultra Clapton and the Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia (ANPI - the National Italian Partisans' Association)

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Rory Bryce from the Football Heritage website and podcast. We're looking at how clubs and nations are, or should, celebrate their football history.

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Dr Pavel Brunssen from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. His new book explores four European clubs with a Jewish connection: Ajax, Bayern München, FK Austria Wien and Tottenham Hotspur.

How did these identities come about, and why are they often problematic?

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Eli Mengem from the YouTube channel, Copa90. We discuss his career highlights, such as the Copa Libertadores final that never was between Boca and River, and 'Once in a Lifetime' about Argentina's 2022 World Cup win. We also discuss his favourite groundhopping experiences and where he'd like to go but hasn't yet...

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Shafik Meghji, author of Small Earthquakes, in which he explores British involvement and legacy in South America. The most prominent legacy is probably football, so we look at the pioneers in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and beyond.

Other podcasts we mention in this podcast include:

• Everton in England and Chile
• The Kentish Roots of Newell's Old Boys
• The Roots of Argentine Football
• Argentina v England at Mexico '86

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Will Dalton, author of 'Oh, San Lorenzo', a new book all about San Lorenzo de Almagro, one of Argentina's traditional 'Big Five'.

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

Tim Vickery is the leading English-language expert on Brazilian football. Tim joins me to discuss the current state of football in Brazil. We discuss a broad range of topics on contemporary Brazilian football, including the gentrification of the sport, the legacy of the 2014 World Cup, and the state of the national side.

Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

I welcome David Goldblatt onto the podcast to discuss his latest book, Injury Time: Football in a State of Emergency. We discuss the role of populism in football and also the changing economics of the game.

Visit Outside Write for more football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Substack and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is journalist Joey D'Urso, whose new book, More Than a Shirt, explores the politics around 22 football shirts from across the world.

Visit Outside Write for more football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Substack and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Jay Mwamba, author of Crash of the Buffalo, which explores the tragic story of the 1993 air crash that killed many of the promising Zambian national side. We look at the players involved, the incident itself, and how the nation recovered in the aftermath of the disaster.

Visit Outside Write for more football history.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Substack and X

Check out Chris Lee’s three books:

·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World

·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism

·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Matt Oldroyd from the Nottingham Forest fan group, Forza Garibaldi. Matt's new book, Trailblazers, explores the history of one of the world's oldest and most historically significant football clubs, two-times European champions Nottingham Forest. We look at what the club - and the city of Nottingham - has contributed to the game in England and worldwide.

I welcome Miguel Lourenço Pereira back onto the podcast to discuss his new book, Pasión: A Journey to the Soul of Spanish Football. Following the success of his first book in English, Bring Me That Horizon, a deep-dive into football in his native Portugal, Miguel pops next door to explore the diverse and deeply rooted cultural identities that make up Spanish football. In Pasión, Miguel demonstrates how football reflects the country's complex social and regional differences.

In this podcast, I speak to four people involved in the telling of the story of Argentinian club Newell's Old Boys. Founded in 1903, the Rosario-based club was inspired to play by the influence of Isaac Newell, born in Kent, England, who moved to Argentina and set up a school where football and physical education complemented academic studies. 

In this podcast, we hear from (in order):

• Adrian Pope, who has been campaigning for a statue of Isaac Newell in his hometown of Strood for more than 20 years
• Amanda J. Thomas, who's writing a biography of Isaac Newell
• Jon Rye, who curated an exhibition about Newell in 2022
• Margarita Newell, great-great-granddaughter of Isaac Newell and great-granddaughter of Claudio Newell, the club's founder

I am joined by Dr Pete Watson from the University of Leeds, and Karen Ariza Carranza, journalist, founder of Tribuna Krizol - a platform to promote social change in sports and the participation of Colombian women in sports - and she's also an International Olympic Committee young leader.

We're looking at the role of women's football within Colombia as an agent for change. In this episode, we cover:

• The Rise of Women's Football in Colombia: We look at the historical context of women's football in Colombia, and its growing significance both nationally and internationally.
• The Development of Women's Football in Colombia: We explore how women's football in Colombia has developed later than the men's game, with the first professional league only established in 2017.
• The Global Stage: We highlight the importance of international tournaments, particularly Colombia’s 2015 Women's World Cup victory over France, in boosting visibility and media attention for the sport.
• 'Critical Visibility Moments': We analyse the role of 'critical visibility moments', where women's football gains media traction, often when the men's team underperforms or is absent from major competitions.
• Club Structures in Colombia: We examine how club football remains structurally weak, with a lack of investment, limited teams, and dependence on men's clubs for survival.
• The Role of Linda Caicedo: We discuss the growing impact of key figures like Linda Caicedo, an Afro-Colombian player who overcame cancer to become a global star, now playing for Real Madrid.
• Growing Media Attention: We acknowledge that while women's football in Colombia has gained more mainstream media coverage, it still faces systemic challenges, including gender inequality, inadequate funding, and inconsistent broadcasting.
• How Does Colombian Women's Football Compare with its Latin American Peers?: We compare Colombia’s success in women’s football to Argentina’s struggles, positioning Colombia as the second-strongest team in South America behind Brazil.
• Activism is Making a Difference: We emphasise the role of grassroots activism, independent media, and journalists advocating for greater representation and support for the women’s game.
• What Does the Future Hold?: We conclude by considering the future of Colombian women's football, noting its potential to rival Brazil, provided the necessary structural and financial support is secured from the federation and clubs.

On St Patrick's Day - 17 March 2025 - I gave a talk about my new book, 'Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football' at Dulwich Hamlet FC, co-hosted by the Football and War Network with the support of Stanchion Books. Have a listen!

My new book, Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football, is out NOW! It's part-groundhop, part-history discovery of football on the island of Ireland as an outsider.

My thanks to author and journalist James Hendicott for standing in as host in this episode to interview me (!) 

My guest is Joseph O'Sullivan, better known as 'Football Travel Man' on Instagram. You can also find him on YouTube and writing about football for Forbes.

Joseph discusses his experiences following the South American club tournaments for Copa90, plus his other experiences groundhopping in lower league Buenos Aires football clubs, such as Nueva Chicago or Defensa y Justicia.

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. 

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.