Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

Sounds,02 Jul 2026,38 mins

Why are Brits so obsessed with football?

Here For The History

Available for over a year

Why are Brits so obsessed with football? Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson explore the origins of football, how the game transformed from a gentleman’s hobby to the people’s game, and then how it became the most popular cultural phenomenon in the world. Key sources: The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football - David Goldblatt The Association Game: A History of British Football - Matthew Taylor

Programme Website
More episodes