The Bundesletter Podcast — German football culture

Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s German football correspondent Seb Stafford-Bloor. Seb took over the German football beat at the outlet about two years ago, after moving to Hamburg, his wife’s hometown. 

He covers the full gamut of German football, writing and speaking on the latest transfer news, the action on the pitch, and stories from the terrace. 

In our conversation, we cover some of his recent work, in particular the in-depth reporting he did in relation to Florian Wirtz’s one hundred and sixteen million euro transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool. Seb has covered every inch of that story, collaborating with colleagues to unearth the detail behind the move, and speaking with Wirtz’s youth coaches. I’ve left some of the links to his work in the description. 

We also talked about football in Hamburg. HSV’s recent promotion, the political identity of St. Pauli, and the prospect of the Stadt derby returning to the top tier for the first time in 14 years. 

Before I met with Seb, many other guests on this podcast and countless others in the German football space told me about how giving he is with his time. He was, as advertised, one of the nicest blokes I’ve come across in the football media. I really enjoyed this one, and I hope you do too. 

Here's what we covered

• Seb's relationship with German football (2:30)
• The 'compromise' of covering Bayern to spread interest in the German game (6:00)
• Covering Florian Writz's transfer to Liverpool (11:00)
• differences between German football and English football at a youth level, and the open culture that creates (16:00)
• His ties to Hamburg (20:00)
• Cultivating relationships within German football, and travelling the country for work (26:00)
• The nature of the St.Pauli/HSV rivalry (28:45)
• Why he avoids defining fan bases by a singular ideology or point of view (34:30)
• Covering HSV's return to the Bundesliga, and why this team was able to win promotion after seven years in the second tier (38:00)

Links to Seb's work

'Hamburg: A Bundesliga giant almost back from the brink' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6187923/2025/03/10/hamburg-bundesliga-promotion-polzin-selke/ 

'Creating Florian Wirtz' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6401889/2025/06/16/creating-florian-wirtz/ 

'Inside Wirtz's Liverpool deal' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6434830/2025/06/20/florian-wirtz-liverpool-transfer-inside-story/

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Derek’s voice will be recognisable to many of you. Not only has he commentated on pretty much every major football league or international competition for a host of industry-leading broadcasters, since 2017, he has been the voice of the EA sports soccer simulator formerly known as FIFA, now EAFC.

For the past few years, he has served as the lead commentator on ESPN's coverage of the Bundesliga, and the league’s international feed.

Describing himself as an unapologetic Germanophile, Derek is a font of knowledge on the Bundesliga, the German language, and the country’s wider football culture. In this podcast, we cover Derek’s aptitude for learning Deutsch, how his linguistic skills have made him a better commentator, the German commentators that influenced him, and his love for the city of Köln.

Derek is a true ambassador for German football, and one of the very best commentators operating in the game today. It was a true pleasure to speak with him. 

Here’s what we covered. 

• Derek's experience covering the Club World Cup (2:00)
• Whether the tournament has been a success (3:45)
• How German fans have received the Club World Cup (5:45)
• The early stages of Derek's career and his time living and working in the US (7:00)
• The profile of German football in the States (10:45)
• Derek's first experiences of German football (16:15)
• How Derek became obsessed with the German language (22:00)
• Listening to the BundesligaKonferenz, and the influence of German commentators on his style (27:30)
• How learning languages has given him a leg up in the commentary game (32:00)
• Why Derek settled in Köln (34:30)
• The city's obsession with the efforts and exploits of FC Köln (37:30) 

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Stefan Bienkowski is the UK content manager for Transfermarkt, where in his own words, his remit is "everything but" German football. 

However, it's the work he does outside his nine-to-five that makes him a well-known name among avid followers of the Bundesliga. Alongside Manuel Veth, Stefan runs the Gegenpressing Podcast and Newsletter, one of the best English-language resources for understanding the German game. 

Stefan has lived and worked in Gemrany too. He was previously a football correspondent for Deutsche Welle, and has contributed to leading titles including The Telegraph and Guardian. 

Here's what we covered: 

• Stefan's work with Transfermarkt, and the Gegenpressing Newsletter/Podcast (3:00)
• The stories Stefan and his colleagues cover on Gegenpressing (5:15)
• Stefan's experience of living and working in Germany (8:00)
• The dominance of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the English-language coverage of German football (10:00) 
• How the German media cover the transfer market (16:30)
• The similarities between Germany's media and other major European footballing powers (23:30)
• The idea that the Bundesliga has become a 'development league' for Europe's elite clubs (26:30)
• Fan sentiment towards Bayern's dominance, and attitudes towards the 'financialisation' of football in Germany and other markets (33:30)
• The stories from the 24/25 season which have been 'undercovered' by English outlets (40:00) 

The Gegenpressing Newsletter: gegenpressing.substack.com 

Project Fußball: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/project-fu%C3%9Fball/id1548252056 

About 'Die 56' 

Have you heard about our Kickstarter campaign? 'Die 56' is a content series, which will see Bundesletter see a game at every home ground in the top three tiers og Erman football in the 25/26 season. To find out more, click the link below: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/die56/die-56 

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Archie Rhind-Tutt will be well known to avid followers of German football, both for his pitch side reporting for ESPN's Bundesliga coverage, and his regular appearances on the Guardian Football Weekly. 

He joined us on the latest episode of The Bundesletter Podcast to talk on football in his adopted home of Köln, how it felt to be in the Westfalenstadion as Dortmund threw away the title in 2023, and what it's like to interview Pep Guardiola. 

Here’s everything we covered:

• How Archie came to live and work in Germany (1:30)
• Köln as a football city (4:30)
• Archie’s decision to support Fortuna Köln, rather than FC (7:45)
• The highlights of Archie’s career covering the Bundesliga (9:45)
• The experience of watching Dortmund throw away the title in 2023 (12:45)
• What it’s like to interview Pep Guardiola (16:00)
• Working in a second language (19:00)
• Edin Terzic’s critiques of Archie’s jazzy jackets (21:00)
• What makes German football special to Archie (23:30)
• When Archie and I bumped into each other at Glastonbury Festival (31:00)
• Archie’s feelings on Euro 2024 (34:00)
• The differing attitudes to the national team in England and Germany (38:00)
• Archie’s book recommendation (39:30)

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Kenny Legg is a different type of guest for us here at the Bundesletter Podcast. His day job involves supporting British businesses find partnerships and success in the German market, but he's as fervent a football fan as our other guests. 

His writing has appeared in publications like Mundial and Halb Vier. Interested in the culture of German football of all levels, he is a proud football nerd with a particular penchant for collecting memorabilia found at Germany's many weekend fleamarkets. A Fortuna Dusseldorf fan with an affinity for Tennis Borussia Berlin, his observations in this podcast speak to a fan with an eye for the Bundesliga and beyond. 

Here's what we covered: 

• Kenny's role with the UK Government's Department for Business and Trade (1:30)
• The differences and similarities in English and German football fandom (5:30)
• His football writing career (9:15) 
• His support of Fortuna Dusseldorf (13:30)
• Dusseldorf as a football city (19:00)
• The success, and possible problems with, Fortuna fur Alle, the club's scheme to provide free access to football (26:00)
• The unique charm of Tennis Borussia Berlin and their low-tech scoreboard (32:00)
• Kenny's football memorabilia addiction and the role of the fleamarket in German culture (37:45)
• His rarest football shirt finds (42:00)
• The gossip flying around the Bayern Munich changing room in 1996/7, as told in Lothar Matthaus' diary (45:00)
• His recommendation for readers wanting to learn more about football in East Germany (48:30)

Kenny's viral tweet from Euro 2024: https://x.com/legg_kenny/status/1803495961538302315 

Kenny's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legg_kenny/ 

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Uli Hesse is an authority on German football. Writing in both his native tongue and English, he is a prolific author and journalist. Through his long career, he has contributed to titles such as FourFourTwo and When Saturday Comes, and he is now a staff writer at 11Freunde.

His book Tor! is widely regarded as the defintive English language history of German football. FourFourTwo listed Tor! as the sixth best football book in history. 

In this conversation we cover: 

• Uli's career (3:00)
• Writing in both English and German (4:30)
• The difference in writing books versus journalism (7:45)
• The plaudits Tor! has received since its first publication in 2002 (9:30)
• The influence of American sportswriting on Uli's style (11:45)
• Common misconceptions of German football from an English audience (16:00)
• Why Germany held on to amateurism in sport, and the influence anti-commercialisation has on football in the country today (21:45) 
• The benefits and drawbacks to the 50+1 rule (29:00)
• Whether German fans are more critical of their national team and its stars than other footballing nations (32:00)
• Which German National Team is the best, or the most significant (39:30)
• The last ten years of German football (43:15)
• Writing histories of Germany's two biggest clubs: Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund (48:30)
• The legend of the 'Yellow Wall' and the atmosphere at Westfalenstadion (52:00)

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Fascinated by German football from a young age, Kit Holden has carved a unique career since he's moved to Berlin.

A freelance journalist writing in both German and English for titles such as Der Tagesspiegel and The Athletic, Holden has recently published two outstanding books.

Scheisse! We're Going Up, tells the story of Union Berlin through the stories of Unioner dating back to the days of the DDR. Played In Germany, published in June of this year, explores the football history and cultures of the host cities of Euro 2024. 

In this conversation we cover: 

• Kit's origins in German football, and moving to Berlin (4:45)
• How Berlin has changed during Kit's time in the city (7:03)
• Whether Kit's relationship with Union has changed the more he covers the team professionally (10:38)
• The difference in writing for a native German audience, and English-speaking titles (15:48)
• The process of writing Scheisse! (18:13)
• Perceptions of Union in English speaking countries (24:13)
• The matchday experience at the Alte Fösterei (30:44)
• The diversity of fan cultures in Germany (35:45)
• Why Bavarian culture has become a byword for German culture in other parts of the world (39:10)
• Leipzig's role in the foundation of German football (42:36)
• The unease many people in Germany feel around nationalism and football (48:23)
• The role of football clubs in fighting the emerging far right presence in the East of Germany (53:22)

Buy Scheisse! We're Going Up! here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/scheisse-we-re-going-up-the-unexpected-rise-of-berlin-s-rebel-football-club-kit-holden/6698522

Buy Played in Germany here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/played-in-germany-a-footballing-journey-through-a-nation-s-soul-kit-holden/7592294

Podcast cover designed by Graeme Sapsed. Need graphic design support, reach out to Graeme on his LinkedIn account https://www.linkedin.com/in/graemesapsed/ 

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Jacob Sweetman is a writer, a drummer, and a keen observer of football in the Haupstadt. 

Now the lead for FC Union Berlin's english communications, Jacob has been writing about fußball and Berlin for almost two decades, since moving to the city in 2007. 

In the 2010s, he edited and published No Dice Magazine, a fanzine that covered the many football clubs in Berlin. In his role with Union, he manages the club's english Twitter feed, writes match reports, and produces video interviews with key figures at the Alte Försterei. 

In this wide ranging conversation, Jacob sahres his thoughts on: 

4:30 — Moving to Berlin
6:30 — His time editing and publishing No Dice Magazine
10:30 — Berlin's repuation, or lack thereof, as a football city
12:00 — The welcoming nature of Union's fans 
14:00 — The diverse nature of clubs and their fanbases in Berlin
18:30 — The figures that best exemplify the city's football culture and history
21:15 — The history of Union and Hertha's friendship, and subsequent rivalry
25:45 — Union's position as the people's club under the DDR, and their animosity towards BFC Dynamo
30:00 — His fandom of Union
39:00 — His hopes for the season ahead
40:30 — The best books for understanding German football

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.