The Football Heritage Podcast

47. Representing Tonga: A Chat With Maikeli Lomu We're joined once again by Brock Mildon alongside Tongan international footballer Maikeli Lomu to hear his incredible story. Maikeli packed up his life and moved to Tonga, a remote island nation in Polynesia, after receiving a call up to their national team. His story generated intrigue around football in Tonga, who subsequently ended up minutes...

46. Identity Football: Heritage & Image in Football Clubs We're joined by co-founder of The Deep Creative, Edd Norval, for a discussion on how football clubs use heritage and identity in the promotion of themselves and their branding. This discussion revolves around football clubs attempting to tap into heritage elements and concepts to consolidate their own community roots and identities....

45. The FENIX Trophy We're joined by Leonardo Aleotti, founder of The FENIX Trophy and chairman of Brera FC. The FENIX Trophy is a tournament which aims to bring European football to non-professional clubs. It promotes fair play, the mixing of different fan cultures and community organisation. This episode covers this incredible tournament and its objectives as it enters its next edition. Subs...

44. Auld Foes: The History of the Edinburgh Derby We're joined by author James Stephen to talk about the history of the Edinburgh Derby, one of Scotland's biggest fixtures. Often overshadowed by the Old Firm, the Edinburgh Derby can trace its roots to 1875, making it one of the oldest rivalries in Scotland. Like their Glasgow counterparts, the Edinburgh Derby is drenched in socio-political...

43. Clube União Fabril We're joined by author and journalist Miguel L. Pereira to talk about Clube União Fabril, a club who were a former Portuguese powerhouse. They once registered a 3rd place finish and boasted a number of young talents in their ranks. But there was a catch: they were bankrolled entirely by Salazar's fascist regime. Subscribe to The Footbal Heritage Extra on Patreon for...

42. Kjøbenhavns Boldklub We're joined by Chris Lee and Flemming Christensen to tell the story of Denmark's (and potentially Europe's) oldest association football club. Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, or KB, were a multi-sports organisation founded in 1876, with their football club being added in 1878. They were one of the early dominant forces in Danish football, but after falling from grace mer...

41. The First Matildas: National or Representative? We're joined by journalist and podcaster Sam Lewis to discuss the maelstrom of issues surrounding the 'first' Matildas team, a recent controversy which has reshaped Women's football in Australia. Sam published an article at the beginning of July explaining the issues surrounding the 1975 side who played in what came to be recognis...

40. No More Bull: The Rise of Hereford FC We're joined by club stadium announcer Matt Healey and current Talking Bull Fanzine editor Simon Wright to talk about their support of Hereford - both United and FC. They recount the demise of Hereford United and the division, negativity and emotions surrounding the club being wound up and the galvanising effect the founding of Hereford FC in 2014 had...

39. One History: AEK Athens We're joined by Nikos and Thanos for a conversation about the history and heritage AEK Athens. Founded by Greek migrants from Constantinople following the Greco-Turkish War, AEK Athens grew to become one of the most successful clubs in Greece. Their primary fan group, Original 21, are known for their anti-fascism and left-wing outlook, largely stemming from their he...

38. The Old County Ground We're joined by Tom Reed of Terrace Edition and Cobblers fan Martin Maloney to hear their stories and memories of Northampton Town's former home - The Old County Cricket Ground. Martin used three words to describe how he remembers the ground - burgers, onions and piss. The sights, sounds and smells of our football grounds are what make them memorable after all! ⁠...

37. The Soccer Federation of Appalachia We're joined by Founder, Head Coach and President of the newly formed Soccer Federation of Appalachia, Stevie Leszyk. Stevie aims to bring a non-FIFA entity to Appalachia based on shared culture and heritage. He has developed a strategic plan surrounding player recruitment, philosophy and team identity in order to drive the project forward, and aims to h...

36. KV Oostende We're joined by Scott Coyne of The Belgian Football Podcast to unpack one of the biggest, shocking and most surprising tales from the world of football last month - the death of KV Oostende. Recorded on the day they were finalising their bankruptcy, Scott gives context to their current situation, highlights the shady paper trails of their last owners and discusses the subject o...

35. RBC Roosendaal We're joined by Vincent Duitsch and Bas Brouwer to discuss one of The Netherlands' many football casualties - RBC Roosendaal. Those of a certain vintage may remember RBC competing in the Eredivisie and in the final of the KNVB Cup against Ajax. Sadly, their collapse was greater than their rise. A life-long RBC fan, Bas tells us why RBC were only ever an amateur-level clu...

34. Olimpija Liepāja We're joined by Dmitrijs Kravčenko, academic and host of the Baltic Football Podcast, to discuss Olimpija Liepāja, a historic club from Latvia through which the history of football in Latvia through different eras can be studied. Olimpija Liepāja are a great case study for the heritage, identity and place issues which surround football clubs, and we pick these themes apart...

33. Dundee Hibernian We're joined by Steve Finan, author of the 'Lifted Over The Turnstiles' series, and Mike Watson, former Dundee United board member and historian. We cover Dundee Hibernian in the social, political and religious contexts of Scotland in the early 1900s and do some myth-busting around the name change from Hibernian to United. We also discuss the legacy this created, t...

32. FC Saburtalo We're joined once again by Luka Lagvilava to discuss one of the talking points of the season so far in Georgia - FC Saburtalo changing their name to FC Iberia 1999. Luka explains the reason behind the change, FC Iberia's chances in Europe, their ambitions for the league season and his hopes for Georgia at this summers European Championships. Subscribe to The Football Herit...

31. The US Open Cup We're joined by Monterey Bay FC coach and aspiring football analyst Elian Corona to discuss The US Open Cup, one of the most loved tournaments in US Soccer. Elian tells the history of the cup and the early teams who would dominate the trophy, before we discuss the recent issues the US Open Cup has had with scheduling, the MLS pulling out of supporting the tournament, and wh...

30. Eisern! The Story of Union Berlin We're is joined by English-German author and journalist Kit Holden to talk about one of Germany's most interesting clubs - 1. FC Union Berlin. From their growth under the DDR to playing in the Champions League, Union Berlin have a phenomenal story and a unique fanbase. The circumstances of their existence, growth and identity make them one of the most...

29. Born of the People: The Socios of Athletic Club Following up from our episode on Athletic Club with Chris Evans, we're joined once again by Chris Evans as well as Aitor Salinas-Armendariz and Beñat Gutiérrez for another chat about Athletic Club, but this time through the eyes of people who grew up supporting Bilbao. Aitor and Beñat answer the all-important question; what does Athletic mean...

28. A Beautiful Madness: Football in Thailand We're joined by author Matt Riley for a chat about some of Thailand's lost football clubs, Matt's tales from his time working in football in Thailand, and the many football books Matt has written. Subscribe to The Football Heritage Extra on Patreon for £3 per month and get an additional podcast every Thursday. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

27. Football and Identity in Belarus We're joined by Arciom Sizincaū to take a whistle-stop tour around football in Belarus, including the history of football in the country and the current football landscape. They cover the reason why there are so many lost clubs, name changes and mergers in Belarusian football, and discuss the meaning behind Belarusian ultras flying a different flag. Subscri...

26. Football, Politics & Identity We're joined by blogger and author Chris Lee for a discussion on the role of politics, identity and heritage within football clubs and how these elements have manifested themselves in football around the world. We cover everything from the early history of the game to the modern day and make the case for politics being inseparable from football. Subscribe...

25. Los Leones: The History of Athletic Club We're joined by author Chris Evans to delve into the history and heritage of Athletic Club, the champions of the Basque Country. Chris recounts the history of the club before we dive into the strong and proud heritage of the club and how they represent the Basque community on the European and world stages. Subscribe to The Football Heritage Extra on...

24. The Daynes Cup: A Soccer History of Utah We're joined by Brock Mildon Brock's Kit Closet to shine a light on the history of soccer in Utah They do this by looking through the lens of The Dayne's Cup, Utah's oldest soccer competition and still contested today. Also up for discussion is the historic recognition for lesser known footballing nations and entities, Utah's early s...

23. Guangzhou Evergrande We're joined by Chinese football expert Zhao Xiaoou to talk about the latest developments in Chinese football. We cover the collapse of the Evergrande Group, their order from the government to liquidate and how this affects Guangzhou FC, the club they bankrolled. Wealso follow up from last weeks episode with Sell Before We Dai by talking about Beijing Renhe, a club fro...