The LGBT Sport Podcast

It’s fair to say the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind for Zander Murray.

Less than a fortnight ago, the Scottish striker came out as gay – and since then, he’s been pretty much everywhere, talking about his journey.

The Gala Fairydean Rovers player says he’s sharing his story because he wants to help others who may be struggling – and we’re delighted to have him with us today, in his first podcast ever, to talk about his journey.

From why he’s decided to inspire others with his story to the process he’s been through, it’s an amazing listen with a great guy that touches on all sorts of things in a really honest, open and genuine way.

We know this is one you’ve wanted to hear, and that we’ve wanted to bring you – so we really hope you enjoy it.

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She’s a double Olympian; a former Commonwealth gold medallist; and one of British judo’s most-established stars, with more medals than you can shake a stick at.

But while Natalie Powell was smashing it in her sporting life, it took a long time for the Welsh judoka to feel the same way when it came to her sexuality.

For years, she felt uncomfortable with who she was – and called the period where she wasn’t out ‘the hardest thing in her life’. But now, she’s happy and content with who she is, and that is why she’s chosen to be with us on the show today.

We’re thrilled to have Natalie on, talking about her career and the journey she’s been on, in sport and in life – plus training, cake, and so much more.

It’s a cracking conversation with a bit of a Welsh sporting legend, and we’re delighted that Natalie is on the show with us.

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If you live in Cornwall, you will know who Edward Rowe is.

And if you don’t, prepare to be introduced to an absolute gem!

The Cornish actor and comedian is a legend in the county – and he's just written, filmed and directed his first-ever short film, all in the Cornish language, looking at a coming out story at a Cornish rugby club.

It’s called ‘Mab Hudel’ – and tells the story of a player called Enys Penrose who captains his team to a cup final, while simultaneously struggling with his own sexuality.

It’s something that’s right up our street, which is why we had Ed in to chat on our BBC Radio Cornwall show.

And we thought you might like to hear it on our podcast as well, which is why we’re bringing it to you here.

Ed is a great talker – a really engaging, entertaining guy who we love and think you’ll love as well – and that the film will be right up your street as well.

So, enjoy this special bonus episode with Ed, and make sure you try and check out the film as well.

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For Hayley Ladd, playing football wasn’t a choice. It was just a given from the off.

As soon as she was old enough, she was kicking a ball around with local lads on the cul-de-sac that her family lived on – and when she was nine, she was in Arsenal’s Centre of Excellence.

Stints at Coventry City, Bristol Academy and Birmingham City followed – alongside a time playing in Finland! – before Hayley ended up at Manchester United.

And alongside that was Hayley’s international career, began when she was just sixteen years old, and still going strong to this day for Wales.

It was being part of that Welsh team at such a young age that helped Ladd find the confidence she needed to be her authentic self – and now, she’s looking to help others do the same.

This is a cracking conversation about all of that and so much more – from Wales’ recent World Cup match with Slovenia played in front of an electric crowd in Cardiff to Hayley’s footballing journey, plus training in the pandemic, finding time to relax and the pressures that younger players may face now that Hayley didn’t have to deal with as she was breaking into the game.

It’s a brilliant chat with a fantastic guest, and we think you’re going to love it!

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Paul Greetham has always loved cricket.

He grew up playing it at an age-group level for Warwickshire and, for the past eight years, has been helping to bring the best out of the players coming through the ranks at Edgbaston as the High Performance Manager at Warwickshire County Cricket Club.

He’s someone who knows everything there is to know about coaching, having done it since he was a teenager – and he’s a terrific person to have on the podcast this week.

We talk about all sorts of things, from where his love of the game came from to coming out as gay in the sport – to why he would like more men to feel like they can do the same.

Plus marathon running, the joy of coaching – and why he for one will be looking forward to the new series of Bake Off!

It’s a cracking chat with Paul, who is speaking openly about his story for the first time – and we’re delighted to have him on the show.

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Sometimes, it’s good to take a moment to stop and reflect on things.

And as the summer begins to draw to a close, we thought it was worth pausing to remind ourselves of some of the amazing guests who have joined us on the podcast so far in 2022.

So, we’re taking a trip into the archive to remember conversations with the Olympians, World Cup winners and history-makers who have been on the show since January this year.

From reaction to Jake Daniels' coming out story to athletes who shared their journey with us for the first time, this is like a buffet of podcast goodness from 2022 – and we think you’ll love it.

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More than 150 thousand people are expected in Manchester today for the city’s Pride parade - and obviously, we wanted to be part of it!

So we decided to take the show to the heart of the city to record a special episode with four brilliant guests who happened to be in Manchester ahead of today’s march.

Olympic swimmer Dan Jervis, British wheelchair basketball star Laurie Williams, Scottish football referee Lloyd Wilson and rugby player Hannah Davis all join us for a cracking conversation about Pride, visibility, and being their authentic selves. It's honest and open and funny - and touches on everything from wedding planning to coming out to a first trip to Canal Street!

It was brilliant to get so many folks around the table for a chat on such a special weekend, and we hope you love hearing this one.

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There is so much we could tell you about Peter Caruth - who has justifiably earned his reputation as a bit of a legend in the world of Irish hockey.

There’s the silverware he’s won at club level, as well as the bronze he took with the Irish national side at the 2015 Eurohockey Nations Championship – plus the small matter of the Rio Olympics in 2016, and the fact he’s amassed more than 140 caps for Ireland.

Or we could tell you about that moment, exactly two months ago in June, where he told the world about the fact he’s gay – and became the first Ireland men’s hockey international to ever come out.

But honestly, we’d rather you just listened to this episode, which might be one of the best we’ve ever done.

Because if this podcast is just meant to be a chat, then that’s exactly what this one with Peter is – a wide-ranging conversation that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you literally hold your breath.

It’s something that weaves between the sporting and the deeply, deeply personal – and we think you should just make some time in your day to listen to it in full, because you won’t regret it.

From concocting a scheme to nab Usain Bolt’s autograph to the pain he felt inside while concealing his sexuality, Peter is honest about it all to the absolute core – and we can’t thank him enough for this gift of a conversation.

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In a career that spanned the best part of two decades, there was very little that Alex Blackwell didn't manage to accomplish.

The former Australia captain led her side to World Cup and Ashes victories on her way to becoming, at one point, Australia’s most capped female cricketer ever - and now she writes about and commentates on the game that she still loves so much.

Alex also made history as the first female international cricketer to come out as gay, and uses her platform as a patron for Pride in Sport in Australia, with whom she works to make sport a place where everyone feels welcome.

So we were absolutely delighted to have Alex join us for a cracking episode of the podcast, where we talk about her amazing career and so much more besides.

From the influence her family had in making her feel like she could do anything she wanted to some of the discrimination she experienced in cricket, as well as those top sporting memories that still haven’t faded – it’s all in this conversation, and in her book ‘Fair Game’, which is absolutely worth a read as well.

We’re really grateful Alex joined us for this chat, and we think you’ll love hearing it as much as we loved doing it.

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If you're anything like me, you probably loved watching the Commonwealth Games over the past couple of weeks.

And if you were lucky enough to be in Birmingham for the event, you may well have paid a visit to Pride House Birmingham - which has been putting on events, talks and seminars throughout the entirety of the Games.

We wanted to reflect on what the space meant to the people behind it, as well as to those who visited – and we’ve found two terrific guests to have a conversation about that and so much more.

Neil Basterfield is the co-founder of Pride House Birmingham, and England netball legend Stacey Francis-Bayman was a Pride House Ambassador for the Games – and this conversation brings them both together to talk visibility, the importance of LGBTQ+ venues at sporting events, allyship and so much more.

It’s a fitting tribute to the work done by everyone who made Pride House a success, and we’re massively grateful to Neil and Stacey for making the time to join us for it.

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