Football in Georgia

My guest is Luka Lagvilava, whose @GeorgianFooty feed on Twitter/X has become an extremely popular resource on football in Georgia, especially when the former Soviet state made its European Championship debut in 2024.  I chat to Luka about the history of football in Georgia, the country's clubs, its greatest players, the international scene, the politics, and get his groundhopping tips for visitors. It's a fascinating insight into the Georgian football scene.

My guest is Derek Air, whose book 'Land of the Giants' explores Subbuteo culture. We're talking ahead of the Subbuteo World Cup 2024, hosted in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, where the game was invented. 

Everton is one of the grand old names of English football. Founder members of both the Football League (1888) and the Premier League (1992), Everton have the second-longest run in the top-flight of English football after Arsenal, with seven decades without a relegation - although they have come close.  I discuss Everton's history with author Rob Sawyer and the club's legacy in South America with Jimmy Milner from The Ruleteros Society, focussing on the friendship between Everton in England and their namesake in Chile, Everton de Viña del Mar.

I'm joined by Claus Bermann, whose company Rome Derby organises match tickets and tours for groundhoppers visiting the Italian capital to watch AS Roma and SS Lazio matches, or meetings between the two - the 'Derby della Capitale' (the Derby of the Capital).

I am joined by Christopher Evans, author of 'Los Leones', a book on the history of Athletic Club de Bilbao. We're looking at the Basque Derby - Athletic Club v Real Sociedad. It's an iconic derby wrapped up in fierce Basque identity.

My guest is Ceylon Andi Hickman, director of the charity Football Beyond Borders (FBB). We're discussing how football is making a positive change to young people's lives, especially in their education. The charity has worked with footballers, including Marcus Rashford and Chris Smalling, and is proven to help children do well at school. Ceylon is also a centre-half for Dulwich Hamlet Women, so we also discuss the progressive culture around the South London club. They have been promoted since the time of recording, so congratulations to them.

My guest is Marius Helgå as we discuss groundhopping in Norway. It's Western Europe's longest country at 1,750km with clubs stretching from the south right up to the Arctic Circle. We discuss some big names like Vålerenga, Lyn, Odds, Viking, and Bergen, plus some smaller clubs and the national side. We also look at Norwegian fan culture and its influences, cheifly drawn from England and Germany.

My guest is Aidan Williams, whose new book 'Euro 1984: The Greatest Tournament You Never Saw'. Back when the Euros was a proper elite eight-team tournament, France provided a sublime and dramatic tournament spearheaded by Michel Platini, who bagged nine goals in just five games as France won its first major tournament.

My guest is Ben Jackson, whose book The Africa Cup of Nations: The History of an Underappreciated Tournament came out in time for the 2024 edition of AFCON. We look back at the tournament's roots, its key moments and players, plus where does it go from here?

My guest is Roberto Pennino, whose book 'Immortal Torino' covers the story of 'Il Grande Torino' - the Great Torino FC side that dominated Italian football in the 1940s. Tragically, the team and coaching staff all died as their plane descended into Turin on the way home from a friendly match in Lisbon against Benfica, crashing into the Basilica di Superga.