The Yugoslav wars of the 1990s led to the break up of Yugoslavia into six independent countries.

Not surprisingly, this had a massive effect on their leagues, both on their domestic leagues and their national team, which was in the midst of its own golden generation.

Writer Chris Etchingham has written a book on this called Emancipation for Goalposts: Football's Role in the Fall of Yugoslavia. I discussed with him the effect the war had on Yugoslavian football and how football hooligans played a role in the war itself.



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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

I spoke to award-winning sports writer Donald McRae about the books he has written, the people he has interviewed, his thoughts on boxing and his opinions on sportswashing.


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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

1966. Etched into English sporting and culture as even more non-football fans in England know that the country won the World Cup that year.

While there have been documentaries and books galore about England's triumph that day, little has been written of a number of players and the manager of that side.

I spoke to award-winning writer Duncan Hamilton, whose latest book Answered Prayers: England and the 1966 World Cup discussed that tournament and the careers and lives of the prayers and manager before and after that day in July 1966.




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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

Rosie Kay is a Choreographer, Dancer, Artistic Director, Speaker, Artist and CEO of her own company K2CO.

We discussed why she was forced out of her original company,  why the arts have engaged in cancel culture over the last decade, the organisation she has co-formed to promote freedom in the arts, and her current work on the stage.

K2CO's website - https://k-2co.com/
Freedom In The Arts' website - https://www.freedominthearts.com/home-page



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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

Boxing publicist Rachel Charles has lived an eventful life, to say the least.

Born and brought up in a working-class area of Birmingham, she moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and eventually was the in-house publicist for boxing promoter Dan Goosen.

The journey of how she got there will shock and inspire in equal measure.


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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

Since rugby union players were able to make a living in the mid-90s, the spectre of concussion has loomed large over both union and league.

Over the last few years, more ex players have come forward, stating that they are suffering from neurological illnesses due to the repeated head trauma they endured while playing the sport. But is the game taking concussion and its long-term effects seriously? 

I interviewed rugby journalist Sam Peters about his attempts to highlight the impact of concussion to the wider public and authorities, and the roadblocks that were continuously put in his way.


Comcussed.media website - https://www.concussed.media/


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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

Dr Rakib Ehsan is a British-Bangladeshi independent researcher specialising in race relations, social cohesion and public security. His latest book is called Beyond Grievance: What the Left Gets Wrong about Ethnic Minorities. 



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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

William Douglas was a respectful university professor with a loving family. However, he led a secret life, spending his nights in Boston's red light district, known as the "Combat Zone. Inevitably, this led to tragic circumstances for both Douglas, a woman he had befriended and both of their families.

I spoke to author Don Stradley, who in his latest book has written about this extraordinary story.

Link to Don's book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boston-Tabloid-Killing-Robin-Benedict-ebook/dp/B0BKWXGGC5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MPLIALZCB3LE&keywords=boston+tabloid&qid=1698686723&sprefix=boston+tabloid%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-1


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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

People have likely heard of the band the Dropkick Murphys. The man the band named themselves after led an unbelievable life.

Dr. John “Dropkick” Murphy's legacy extends far and wide. From becoming a household name as a wrestler who put himself through medical school to leaving that world behind to open Bellows Farm - an at the time one-of-a-kind institution where elite athletes could train and as a place of seclusion for alcoholics could go to sober up discreetly.

I spoke to Emily Sweeney, a staff reporter at the Boston Globe who has written a book about this remarkable man.



Links to Emily's work:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/about/staff-list/staff/emily-sweeney/

https://www.facebook.com/BostonOrganizedCrime/

https://www.facebook.com/DropkickMurphyBook/

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About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

Education in the UK has long been a source of conversation. From teaching standards to decolonising the curriculum, the education system is going through a number of changes.

Dr Joanna Williams is the founder of Cieo, an independent think tank run by a small team of academics and authors. I spoke to her about the state of education in the UK including the standard of teaching, affirmation action in education and the role of schools in society.

Joanna's article in Spiked: https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/08/23/the-hollowing-out-of-higher-education/

Cieo: https://www.cieo.org.uk/about/


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About The 286 Project:
A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.