The FootPol Podcast

Football in Saudi Arabia has been the subject of a lot attention in the last year due to the purchase of high profile players by Saudi teams. But how is the Saudi Pro League doing now that we're several months into the new season? Has it been successful so far? And what does the future of football look like in the Kingdom? To discuss this, co-hosts Guy and Francesco speak to Aziz Alghassian a...

As the world game, how do diplomats relate to football? And how is football being used by states around the world to advance their global interests and influence? To discuss these questions, co-hosts Guy and Francesco talk to former British diplomat and now geopolitical commentator, Arthur Snell, about his experience of working for the UK Foreign Office in Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago and other...

From Japan's and South Korea's heroics at past World Cups to the advent of global stars from the region, East Asia has made a splash in world football in recent years. The trajectory of the Chinese Super League, however, suggests that it's not all progress. In this episode Francesco and Guy spoke to Professor Seungbum Lee   of Akron University about the rise and fall of the Chinese...

In the last few years,  collecting football shirts has turned into a popular hobby for a growing number of fans. But are football kits only pretty patterns and shining colours? In this episode co-hosts Francesco and Guy talk to author Alex Ireland   about the politics and economics of football kits, from their development into contemporary fashion and leisure wear to how choices about sponsors, ba...

Every football fan's worst nightmare is seeing their team go bust. But how likely is that to happen? While the English game has been able to attract significant capital, cases of clubs falling into financial hardship are frequent. In this episode co-hosts Guy and Francesco ask Portsmouth University's Christina Philippou   what is the state of English football clubs' financial health...

What can the beautiful game tell us about the society we live in? How is football and the football industry impacting the environment? In the episode co-host Francesco speaks to David Goldblatt, sociologist of football and author of several influential volumes on the history and politics of the game. David  discusses how football is the greatest modern-day political theatre , and why the game and...

What is the connection between national identity and the beautiful game? And why is  there no British national football team? In this episode Guy and Francesco speak to Professor Matthew Taylor , one of Britain's main historians of sport, based at DeMonfort University. Matt discusses the origins of the game and the first competitive matches, often involving teams between different British cit...

What can a football team do for its community? Is it possible to re-imagine the role of  football clubs? In this episode Guy and Francesco talk to Sukhdev Johal from Clapton CFC, East London's fan-owned football club with a strong social and political profile. From the iconic Second Spanish Republic-inspired jersey to Clapton's campaigns against homophobia, racism, sexism and intolerance...

Can football change lives? In this episode co-hosts Francesco and Guy talk to Mel Young, social entrepreneur and founder of the Homeless World Cup .   The HWC is more than a big yearly tournament bringing together men and women's teams from all over the world. It is a global network of 70 grassroots organisations that help select and prepare the players for the competition. The mission of the...

The recent Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand has been hailed as a great success and a sign of the growing popularity of the women's game. But what are the challenges faced by the women's game away from the bright lights of the major tournaments? In this episode co-hosts Guy and Francesco speak to Carrie Dunn, journalist and academic,  about the women's game in Engl...

What is FootPol? In this short introduction co-hosts Guy Burton and Francesco Belcastro introduce themselves and the podcast and its purpose as well as the topics and guests in the first few episodes. The first proper episode lands on Monday 2nd of October on all main podcasting platforms! Book the date and watch and listen out for it!