Broadway To Brazil

The Egri Erbstein Tournament celebrated amateur and semi professional football, as well as the legacy of one of football's pioneering coaches, on the weekend of 23 and 24 July at the Corinthian-Casuals' home in Tolworth. 

Along with the Casuals, visitors Sheffield FC, Hilltop FC, and Budapesti AK provided rich entertainment for the bumper attendances that came down to King George's. 

Broadway to Brazil was there to capture the action and reaction. As well as reviewing what happened on the pitch, this episode also hears from some old and new friends: former Corinthian and media legend, Martin Tyler; newly appointed first team manager, Tony Reid; and a member of the touring party from Budapest, Peter Beko. 

And we even end on a surprisingly musical note... 

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Hosted by Jarek Zaba

Editing, Mixing, Production - Jarek Zaba

Series co-producer - Dominic Bliss

Title music - John Forrest

On the weekend of July 23rd and 24th, Corinthian-Casuals will be hosting the second edition of the Egri Erbstein Tournament. Celebrating one of football’s great pioneering coaches, the tournament also brings together like minded amateur and semi-professional clubs from around the world. 

In the third of our bonus episodes, we speak to Abdullah Mohammed, first team manager at Hilltop FC. Based in north London, Hilltop has its roots in the British-Somali community and has had a rapid rise since being founded in 2005. 

This year they're preparing to play Step 5 football for the first time, having gained promotion to the Combined Counties Premier Division. They also happen to be the semi final opponents of Corinthian-Casuals at the Egri Erbstein Tournament. 

Abdullah speaks about his excitement about the game, the history of Hilltop and its role in the local community, and some foreign adventuring of their own.

Hosted by Jarek Zaba

Editing, Mixing, Production - Jarek Zaba

Series co-producer - Dominic Bliss

Title music - John Forrest

On the weekend of July 23rd and 24th, Corinthian-Casuals will be hosting the second edition of the Egri Erbstein Tournament. Celebrating one of football’s great pioneering coaches, the tournament also brings together like minded amateur and semi-professional clubs from around the world. 

After a successful tournament in Budapest in 2019, it’s now the turn of Corinthians to host. And in these Broadway to Brazil specials, we’re speaking to some of the clubs involved. 

In this episode, Jarek chats with Richard Tims, a man with the honour of being chairman of the world’s first football club: Sheffield FC. 

Richard talks about the rich history of the club, who are the only team other than Real Madrid to be bestowed with the FIFA Order of Merit. He also spoke about Sheffield’s current position in the Northern Premier League Division One, travels to far flung places such as India and Brazil, and what he’s most looking forward to at the Egri Erbstein Tournament.

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Presented by Jarek Zaba 

Editing, Mixing, Production - Jarek Zaba

Series co-producer - Dominic Bliss

Title music - John Forrest

On the weekend of July 23rd and 24th, Corinthian-Casuals will be hosting the second edition of the Egri Erbstein Tournament. 

As well as celebrating the achievements of one of football’s great pioneering coaches, the tournament also brings together like minded amateur and semi-professional clubs from around the world. 

Broadway to Brazil listeners may remember the Casuals travelling to Budapest in 2019, where the club lifted the trophy - a newly minted Corinthian Cup - in front of a loud and passionate travelling army of supporters. 

Now it’s the turn of the Corinthians to host. And in these special Broadway to Brazil bonus episodes, we’ll be speaking to representatives from each of the competing clubs in the build up to the tournament.

First up is Bertalan Molnar, President of Budapesti Atletikai Klub - or BAK for short. BAK were Egri Erbstein’s first club, and the semi final opponents of Casuals back in 2019, eventually losing 3-0 in a hard fought encounter. Now they make the return journey, and will be facing the world’s oldest club, Sheffield FC, in their semi final. 

Here’s what Bertalan had to say about the tournament, and what his team will be bringing to the table later this month. 

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Presented by Jarek Zaba 

Editing, Mixing, Production - Jarek Zaba

Series co-producer - Dominic Bliss

Title music - John Forrest

Football is a sentimental culture. Where do you draw the line between heritage and progress? And when you represent a club that has chosen to set itself apart, with its own respected ethos, how do you move with the times and maintain your unique identity?

These are the questions that have faced custodians of the Corinthian-Casuals legacy from the 1880s through to the 2020s. 

So how have things changed over the course of those 14 decades? In our final episode, we set out to answer the overarching question behind this entire series: What does it mean to be a Corinthian?

To help explore this topic, Dominic and Jarek are joined by committee member John Forrest, and we hear from a wide range of club voices, past and present, including players, management, fans, and a range of the club's custodians over its distinguished history. 

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Written, produced and presented by Jarek Zaba and Dominic Bliss. 

Editing: Jarek Zaba;

Audio engineering: Brent Davies;

Title music: John Forrest;

Artwork: Matt Alabaster;

Website: Chris Kelly.

The footballing paths trodden by the Corinthian-Casuals side are long and varied. From as far afield as Australia and Belgium, and featuring clubs right at the very top of the English game, the players have often seen it all before they walk through the gates at King George’s Field.

But they all have one thing in common – they’ve all fallen in love with this famous old club hidden away off a slip road on the A3.

These are the stories of the men who make up the team today, told through four voices in the present day first team dressing room: Robert Paratore, Ben Cheklit, Danny Bracken and Kieron Cadogan. Dominic and Jarek are also joined by club volunteer Stuart Tree, who knows the first team well through his involvement as club photographer and programme editor. 

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Written, produced and presented by Jarek Zaba and Dominic Bliss. 

Editing: Jarek Zaba;

Audio engineering: Brent Davies;

Title music: John Forrest;

Artwork: Matt Alabaster;

Website: Chris Kelly.

The list of international teams that the Corinthian-Casuals have visited is long, weird and wonderful. But perhaps one of the most unusual ties in the club’s history features them as hosts rather than visitors. 

In 1991 a squad of the Soviet Union’s greatest former player came to Tolworth. As if this wasn’t weird enough, their home country was all but being dissolved at this precise moment. 

We've delved deep into this remarkable fixture, speaking to Steve Bangs, the first time manager at the time who played in the Veterans game; Gary Brigden, at the time the club's first time goalkeeper but a spectator for this tie; and Manuel Veth, a Soviet football historian who places this bizarre tour into context. 

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Written, produced and presented by Jarek Zaba and Dominic Bliss. 

Editing: Jarek Zaba;

Audio engineering: Brent Davies;

Title music: John Forrest;

Artwork: Matt Alabaster;

Website: Chris Kelly.

In 1898, the Corinthians broke their own code and agreed to compete for silverware for the first time. They did so in a showpiece game played between the best amateur and the best professional team in the country. The winner took the mountainous Sheriff of London Shield, an oak leviathan too big for any captain to lift in celebration.

But since the club were forced to sell the Shield in 1996, its whereabouts have been unknown to Corinthians and football historians alike. We set out to track it down, speaking to a Andy Gray, who competed in the last Sheriff of London Shield game in 1983; Brian Wakefield and David Harrison, two Corinthian-Casuals committee members who oversaw the sale of the Shield; and Massimo Ferragamo, the present day owner of the trophy. 

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Written, produced and presented by Jarek Zaba and Dominic Bliss. 

Editing: Jarek Zaba;

Audio engineering: Brent Davies;

Title music: John Forrest;

Artwork: Matt Alabaster;

Website: Chris Kelly.

Additional archive audio in this episode courtesy of Gillian Townsend. 

Socrates is one of the icons of Brazilian football. His effortless grace on the pitch, and his political activism off it, made him an unmistakable symbol for a generation of Brazilians. 

Lesser known is the 17 minutes he spent playing for the Corinthian-Casuals. Having just scored for the opposition, he swapped his number 8 shirt and took his place alongside his Spartan League teammates. 

This is the story of this iconic moment in 1988, when the Corinthians travelled to Brazil for the first time in 75 years for a showpiece friendly against their brothers in football, Corinthians Paulista. 

To help tell the tale, Jarek and Dominic are joined by the club's Community Liaison Officer, John Forrest. We also hear from biographer of Socrates, Andrew Downie; dedicated Corinthians Paulista fan, Dilva Bandeira; and the Casuals goalkeeper who was on the receiving end of some Socrates magic, John Metcalfe.  

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Written, produced and presented by Jarek Zaba and Dominic Bliss. 

Editing: Jarek Zaba;

Audio engineering: Brent Davies;

Title music: John Forrest;

Artwork: Matt Alabaster;

Website: Chris Kelly

140 years ago - after Scotland hammered England 6-1 to record what remains their record away win in football’s oldest international rivalry - the Scottish captain decided to move south of the border to help an English club side master the passing game.

He was one of the best players of his era. His impact on the game has been likened by some football historians to Pele. He was also the first black international footballer, and in 1882 he joined the Corinthians.

This is the remarkable story of Andrew Watson, told through the voices of three experts who have researched his life and football career extensively. Llew Walker is author of the biography A Straggling Life, Andrew Watson; Ged O’Brien is a historian of Scottish football and the influence of ’Scotch Professors’ like Watson; and Malik Al Nasir is a descendant of Andrew Watson who has researched his family extensively. 

Dominic and Jarek then bring the story of race, football and the Corinthians up to date by talking to two more modern day players: Tony Finnigan of the Corinthian-Casuals side of the 1980s; and Kieron Cadogan of the present day squad. 

Written, produced and presented by Jarek Zaba and Dominic Bliss. 

Editing: Jarek Zaba;

Audio engineering: Brent Davies;

Title music: John Forrest;

Artwork: Matt Alabaster;

Website: Chris Kelly