Not by the Playbook

We’re in the small Spanish town of Coria del Río where 700 residents have the surname "Japón", which translates to "Japan". So where better to watch the crucial Group E match between Japan and Spain!? Photo: Fans gather at a bar in Coria del Río to watch the World Cup Group E match between Japan and Spain Credit: Stefano Montali

Nicole Kozlova plays for the Ukrainian Women's national team - earlier this year, whilst the team were still celebrating winning the Turkish Cup, back in her native country, everything had changed and the world had been turned upside down. Suddenly, there was war in Ukraine. Kozlova plays her domestic football in Denmark, whose men's national team have spoken out about some of the issues around th...

On this week’s Sportshour with Katie Smith, we take you live to downtown Doha as we get the latest on the ground ahead of the start of the Fifa World Cup in Qatar from Sportsworld’s Delyth Lloyd. Fans have travelled from all around the world for the marquee event of the football calendar and we speak to a couple of Welsh fans who have taken a very unusual route. Former Cardiff City footballer Scot...

Six years after a performance at an agricultural show in Zimbabwe in 2016, a Pakistani comedian’s impersonation of the fictional character Mr Bean hit the headlines. Just as Zimbabwe were about to take on Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, one Zimbabwean Twitter user predicted revenge for his country over Pakistan for sending a fake Mr Bean. He was correct. Zimbabwe won a thrilling match by one run, p...

At the age of 13, just as his love for skateboarding was flourishing, Dan Mancina was diagnosed with a condition that would eventually leave him blind. Over twenty years later, he supports his family by skateboarding as a full-time job, with the long-term goal of getting it into the Paralympics. He joins Sportshour’s Caroline Barker to tell her about the highs and lows of the last decade. Having n...

As a professional goalkeeper for Al-Karamah, one of Syria's biggest clubs, Fahd Saleh had won numerous trophies but then war came to Syria and his house, his life, all he'd known until that point, was destroyed. Fahd decided to move to England to rebuild his life and cling on to his footballing dream, he even went to a job centre and told them how he wanted to work for a football club. Hear his st...

Greece made their Rugby League World Cup debut this week following years of turmoil in the sport, which saw the team effectively banned from playing matches in their home country. Journalist and Greece team manager Terry Liberopoulos describes his emotions as the side ran out to face France and explains how they managed to fool the authorities and escape the attentions of the Police in order to pl...

What's does the future look like for women in motorsport after the W Series ended its season early because of financial difficulties Race winner Jamie Chadwick, second placed Nerea Marti of Spain and (L) and third placed Alice Powell celebrate on the podium during race 2 of W Series at Miami International Autodrome May 2022 (Credit: Clive Mason - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

From playing barefoot, surviving being poisoned and growing up in a country that discouraged women’s sports. Proscovia Peace, captain of the Uganda Netball team, tells us the crucial role netball played in saving her life. PHOTO: Proscovia Peace of Uganda (L) and Ngwira Loreen of Malawi (R) compete in the Netball match between Uganda and Malawi on day three of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Game...

We hear from Roger Federer on what he plans to do after his retirement from tennis Photo: Roger Federer celebrates victory with the trophy after the men's singles final match against Andy Roddick July 5, 2009 (CREDIT: Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

We look ahead to the start of the new Women's Super League season and what impact England's Euros success might have on the growth of domestic women's football Photo: Chelsea lift the Barclays FA Women's Super League Trophy (Credit: Henry Browne/Getty Images)

We look back at the sporting life of Queen Elizabeth II Image: Queen Elizabeth II (wearing her Cartier diamond Palm Leaf Brooch, which belonged to Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother) attends day 5 of Royal Ascot 2021. (Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

As acting president of the Ukrainian Athletics Federation Yevhen Pronin main task is to be a focal point, to ensure Ukrainian athletes have what they need to perform to their best ability on the world stage. In the past few months Yevhen has juggled his duty to Ukrainian athletics, including leading the team at the World Championships in Eugenie and in Munch last month at the European Championship...

Cyclist Luis Angel Mate, who has already planted 100 trees, tells us why he will plant a tree for every kilometre he's in a breakaway group in this years Vuelta a España. The pledge will be matched by race organisers and his team Euskaltel - Euskadi. Mate has seen first hand the damage that wild fires can do after his home town was badly affected last year. It will be particularly poignant when he...

Copenhagen is hosting the latest round of Sail GP. The competition not only pits some of the best known sailors against each other on the water but also and uniquely offers its competing teams rewards for their actions taken off it. The idea is to make a competition out of being as environmentally friendly as possible, alongside thrilling action on the water. We hear from Hannah Mills, the most su...

We preview the new Serie A season as starts and hear a cautionary tale of the cost of chasing a footballing dream from former player Martin Bengtsson whose life has recently been turned into a film. We're in the English West Midlands where fresh off the back of hosting the Commonwealth Games, Coventry is the venue for the 54th International Children's Games. 1,500 athletes will compete in seven di...

As Women’s T20 cricket is showcased in Birmingham for the very first time, we speak to the Australian coach Shelley Nitschke on whether the sport can be an integral part of the Games and even the Olympic movement in the future. Photo: Team Australia take to the field ahead of the Cricket T20 Preliminary Round Group A match between Team Australia and Team India on day one of the Birmingham 2022 Com...

We are live at the Commonwealth Games where Katie Smith is joined by former GB 1500m runner Hannah England. they'll be sampling the atmosphere on the streets of Birmingham as the marathon takes place. We’ll hear competing athletes from all over the world from Imranur Rahman, the fastest man in Bangladesh, to the volleyballers of Vanuatu. Plus we preview the final of the Women’s European football c...

On a big weekend for women’s football we are in Morocco ahead of the final of WAFCON between hosts Morocco and South Africa. Plus we'll preview the last of the quarter final match at the Euros in England. We saddle up with Louise Vardeman cyclist & team manager of InternationElles as the Tour de France Femmes gets underway for the first time in its current incarnation. Ahead of the Commonwealt...

Could Alex Wrigley's secret weapon at The Open be his caddy? Johanna Gustavsson is after all a professional golfer as well as his wife. We are finding out about the small city of Eugene and the reasons behind why the World Athletic Championships are being held there. We delve a little deeper into the Tour de France with Sophie Smith, author of Pain and Privilege: Inside Le Tour. The book details t...

We are live on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Women's Singles final day. Tunisia's Ons Jabeur is attempting to become the first African woman and first Arab to win a grand slam. She faces Elena Rybakina who became the first player from Kazakhstan to make a major final... So whatever the result history will be made. We also preview the days action at Euro 2022 as Netherlands start the defence of thei...

It is a big month for women's football with four continental championships. The Women's Africa Cup of Nations kicks things off on Saturday before the hosts England take on Austria in the opening match of Euro 2022 on Wednesday. Gill Coultard was part of the England side that lost to Sweden in the first ever final in 1984 and tells us how far the game has come in the past 38 years. As the Tour de F...

Is there something in the water, in the mountains, in the fjords of Norway that creates super human athletes? Norway is the most successful Winter Olympic nation of all time yet they had a surprisingly successful Summer Games in Tokyo. Norway won gold on the track in world record time, the fastest Paralympian on earth is Norwegian, they even picked up gold in beach volleyball! They also have one o...

We look ahead to the final day of Royal Ascot by speaking to the most successful female jockey in the history of the meeting. Hollie Doyle has been competing at the course all week, and joins us ahead of her ride in the big race of the day - the Platinum Jubilee Stakes. Kathrine Switzer reflects on how she helped pave the way for female runners following the 50th New York mini marathon. Switzer co...

As the NBA finals continue we hear the remarkable story of three generations of the Grunfeld family, from their escape journey from Nazi persecution to Olympic glory and beyond. A former pro baller himself Dan Grunfeld has written "By The Grace of the Game: The Holocaust, A Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream". Ahead of the 50th anniversary of Title IX with the help of Dr Bonnie...