Stephen Hurrell blogs about the tabletop football game, Subbuteo. We discuss the past, present and future of the game. How did this family business with figures painted by housewives at home grow into a global business?

The History of Subbuteo

Outside Write is a blog dedicated to football travel, culture and history. In this podcast we discuss travel tips for watching football abroad, discuss football history, sociology and review books.

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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?

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

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. 

The Superga Air Tragedy and Il Grande Torino

My guest is Phil Harrison, whose debut book explores football in Europe's last communist state, Albania. It's a fascinated story of football in a secretive and isolated country.

"The Hermit Kingdom": Football in Stalinist Albania

My guest is Ruben Clark (RM Clark), whose new book Winner Stays On covers his travels around England following clubs through every round of the FA Cup, trailing the winner of matches into the next round all the way up to the final. It's a fascinating insight into the English regions and the football pyramid.

Winner Stays On: Groundhopping Every Round of the FA Cup

My guest is Miguel Lourenço Pereira, who's written a number of football books, but his latest is his first in English, Bring Me That Horizon. It's all about getting to know Portugal through its football. We discuss Portugal's footballing roots and history under the long Salazar dictatorship and the role of football in its demise. We discuss the great players, like Eusébio and other stars from the African colonies, the great 'Golden Generation' Portuguese side of the 1990s and early 2000s, the Big Three, groundhopping, and more...

The History of Subbuteo

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