The FootPol Podcast
The podcast that brings together football and politics. We'll be exploring the relationship between the two, both inside and outside the game.
The podcast covers "Big Politics" like politicians, clubs, international and national federations and other organised groups and how they use or abuse the game to "Small, Everyday Politics" in the form of community-level clubs, fan associations and the way that football reflects the political challenges of our day to day lives.
The FootPol Podcast is brought to you by co-hosts Drs Francesco Belcastro and Guy Burton.
The FootPol Podcast
Class Act: Football and the English Working Class ft. Josh Bland
This week, Francesco and Guy are joined by Josh Bland, a research student at the University of Cambridge, to explore the enduring and evolving relationship between football and social class in England.
Josh traces the historic connection between the working class and the beautiful game, and unpacks how today’s football—especially in its commercialised Premier League form—challenges ideas of “authentic” fandom and identity. Are traditional ties to the game only found further down the football pyramid? And how is class itself understood in contemporary Britain, through the lens of football culture?
A thoughtful and timely conversation about heritage, identity, and how football reflects deeper shifts in British society.
