The new Premier League season is almost upon us. Ahead lies ten months of top-class football, endless off-field drama and – for Australia-based fans – lost sleep at weekends.
Unless you are particularly nocturnal, chances are you’ll struggle to keep up with all of the action as it unfolds over in England. Thankfully, then, the explosion of podcasting has opened up access to some of the best reporting, punditry and debate from the world’s most talked-about league.
With numerous options competing for your ears, here are five of the best to subscribe to as the season kicks off this weekend. If you have any recommendations of your own, do leave them in the comments below.
Football Weekly (The Guardian)
The grandaddy of football podcasts is The Guardian’s Football Weekly, which began life during the 2006 World Cup and has picked up a legion of fans in the 13 years since.
Released twice-weekly, it features a rotating cast of experts led by the wonderfully deadpan Barry Glendenning, with Max Rushden keeping things light in the host’s chair.
In addition to in-depth discussion of the Premier League, the show also focuses on the biggest talking points from the EFL and around Europe. Come for the expertise, stay for the warmth and the laughs.
The Sky Sports Football Podcast (Sky Sports)
The Foxtel of British sport, Sky is the lead host broadcaster of the EPL. As such, it boasts a roster of some of the game’s most respected pros-turned-pundits, including Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness.
Released after each of Sky’s televised matches, usually the biggest games of the round, the podcast features always-excellent analysis of the on-pitch action. The love-hate relationship between former foes Carragher and Neville makes for a particular highlight.
Football Ramble Daily (Stakhanov)
Another long-running favourite, The Football Ramble’s output has continually increased with its popularity, evolving into a brand new daily format for the new season.
The core show remains a light-hearted take on the Premier League that’s as much about the dynamic between its four hosts as the football itself.
But they’ve smartly added other shows to the line-up, including the Europe-focused On the Continent and The Blizzard, featuring some of the best long-form journalism for true football hipsters.
Football Daily (BBC Radio 5Live)
The flagship football podcast from the UK’s leading sports radio station, Football Daily does exactly what it says on the label, bringing you easily digestible round-ups of match reports, news and discussion from the Premier League, EFL and Europe.
Occasionally veering towards quantity over quality, the regular downloads most worth your time are the Monday Night Club, which usually features former EPL striker and pantomime pessimist Chris Sutton, as well as the weekend preview show, The Friday Football Social.
Sunday Supplement (Sky Sports)
A weekly show released on – you guessed it – Sundays, the Sunday Supplement brings together journalistic heavyweights from across the British football media for an hour-long round table debate of the week’s key stories.
Hosted by The Sun’s chief football reporter Neil Ashton, it’s a chance to go beyond the headlines and hear in-depth from those who make their living covering the action, controversies, signings, hirings and firings.
Don’t be put off by the questionable intro music either, it’s worth your time.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
It's back, and it's better than ever. The Champions League is one of the great sporting competitions in the world, and if you want…
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
The Mariners must deal with possibly their toughest challenge yet - Kyrgyzstan’s FK Abdysh-Ata Kant in the first leg of the semifinal.
Already four goals up before the 90-minute mark, Florian Wirtz scored to seal his hat-trick and staff couldn't keep the supporters from celebrating their…
With a certain inevitability, Manchester City are suddenly in charge of the Premier League title race. Arsenal and Liverpool both produced lethargic performances under…
