FA Cup Flashback: University Challenge (2002/03)

The oldest cup competition in the world begins in earnest this weekend, as eighty teams from Leagues One and Two and beyond meet in the FA Cup First Round Proper. For many, dreams of lucrative cup runs and David v Goliath upsets will have turned to ash by 5pm on Saturday, but for now, seasoned […]

Championship Vinyl: Leek Town, Bands FC, and Football’s Relationship with Music Iconography.

“Football is Music” according to Italian multi-instrumentalist Eros Ramazzotti who, when he isn’t collaborating on genre-bending projects with the likes of Andrea Boccelli, Joe Cocker and Cher, can be found singing compositions of another kind at Juventus’ Allianz Stadium. It’s difficult to disagree with the four-time World Music Award winner when considering the artistry of […]

Defending The Indefensible: Do Billericay Town Deserve to be ‘The Most Hated Team in Non-League Football’?

You wake up on a picturesque August morning, peer outside the window of your £18m rural mansion and see the sun streaming down onto your collection of classic cars. The waft of freshly brewed coffee saunters up the stairs, and you head to the kitchen to greet your beautiful wife and your picture perfect family. […]

They Shall Not Pass: Community, Equality and Anti-Fascism at Clapton CFC.

The bold message displayed on the back of Clapton Community FC’s away shirt for the 2018/19 season is as poignant as it is timely. ‘No Parasan’ was the rallying cry used by anti-fascist fighters during the Spanish Civil War, a conflict that saw 175,000 Republicans killed in action. Clapton’s kit, which garnered international press coverage […]

The Equalisers

After launching their ground-breaking ‘Equality FC’ initiative off the pitch in the summer of 2017, Lewes FC have gone on to enjoy a so-far successful season on it during 2017/18. The men’s side are currently in the hunt from promotion in the Bostik League South, while the women’s side have embarked on an historic cup […]

Swede Dreams (Are Made Of This)

Solihull-born manager Graham Potter takes his Östersunds side to Berlin this week looking to put the icing on an incredible cake. If the Swedish side can secure a win against Hertha they’ll top their Europa League group, confounding all expectations ahead of this season’s competition. The European adventure is the latest chapter in an incredible […]

To Be or Not to Be?

“Tuscany! Tuscany! We’re the famous Dulwich Hamlet and we look like Tuscany!” The tongue-in-cheek chant from the ‘Dultras’, inspired by a complaint from an East Dulwich resident when planning permission was requested to upgrade the club’s Champion Hill stadium, has been ringing out in this corner of South-East London for 25 years. There are growing […]